Cardcaptor Harry
by omidorichan
Summary: Harry finds the Clow Book in the Hogwarts library and releases the cards.... most of the things are the same, but some are different. PG to be safe.
1. Default Chapter

1.1 Cardcaptor Harry  
  
1.2 Summary: What if it wasn't Sakura who scattered the Clow Cards? What if the Clow Book has been sitting in the library of Hogwarts for the last 30 years? And what happens when Harry finds the book and releases the cards? PG to be safe.  
  
1.3 Author's Note: This is a bit silly, and most of the things are the same. This may contain spoilers for HP and CCS fans… Read and review!  
  
2 Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own Cardcaptor Sakura.  
  
  
  
2.1 Chapter One: Harry and the Mysterious Magical Book  
  
Cards were falling from the sky. Not playing cards. They looked like collectables with intricate designs. A boy was standing on the highest tower of Hogwarts (School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) wearing very strange attire. Beside the boy was a little bear-like thing with wings.  
  
Who is calling out to me…?  
  
The boy didn't understand what was happening as he watched himself hold out his hand and touch one of the falling cards. The boy watched himself jump high into the night sky when something hit him in the arm. Hard.  
  
"HARRY!!! WAKE UP!!" something screamed into his ear. The boy woke with a start and opened his eyes to see his best friend Ron Weasley staring at him with obvious annoyance. Behind him were Seamus, Neville, and Dean, who were the boy's other friends.  
  
"Oh, it's just you." The boy said. This boy's name was Harry Potter. He was in his fifth year at his secondary school. Harry was no ordinary boy, and the school he attended was no ordinary school. Harry was a wizard and he attended a school that teaches young witches and wizards like himself.  
  
"Yes, it is just me, now if you don't mind, you have to get to class. We have already eaten breakfast and we came in to check on you… you shouldn't have stayed up so late reading- remind me never to let Hermione to give you anymore Muggle books." Ron said loudly, making the boys behind him snicker. Harry blushed but pretended not to hear them. Hermione (Harry's other best friend) had given Harry a book called The Hobbit for his birthday and he had started reading it in his spare time at school. He read long into the night until 3:30am when his loud gasps of surprise as he followed Bilbo Baggins into the mountain with the goblins, had awaken his whole dorm, who promptly told him to turn off the lights.  
  
Harry got ready, and in ten minutes he was shoving toast into his mouth. The dream lingered in his mind but was driven out as he passed Cho Chang in the hallway (which he had planned to do). He walked beside her for their first classes were beside each other. Ron walked beside Harry, obviously amused.  
  
"Harry you don't look too well. You could have taken more time to eat your breakfast." Ron said loud enough for Cho to hear. Harry blushed and kicked Ron in the shins silencing him at once. Cho looked at them questioningly, but Harry smiled.  
  
"You cheerful as always Harry." Cho said, laughing. Harry laughed too. As he looked at her smiling face he wondered if the memory of Cedric still caused her much pain.  
  
They reached their classes and Harry reluctantly said goodbye. Just before she left she tossed him a bag of 'Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans', saying that he could have it since she wasn't brave enough to eat them. He held it wordlessly and jumped at the sudden voice beside him.  
  
"That was a smooth move to toss it to you as she was leaving." Hermione stood beside Harry grinning. Ron snickered again as Harry nearly fell over. Hermione laughed, "you were so cool back there Harry, the way you held the candy with a dreamy look on your face. It would have been a perfect moment to add to the yearbook! I should bring my camera wherever I go from now on." She said and walked into the class humming to herself. They sat down near the back of Professor Binn's class so they might get a better chance to talk. Hermione however seemed very keen on paying attention because, as she put it, "with all my work on the yearbook, I will need to pay extra attention in class!" Hermione had campaigned for a Hogwarts School Yearbook and had got her wish. She assigned herself as Editor and Photographer. She pleaded with Harry and Ron to join, but they told her that they wouldn't have time with their OWL's coming up. They hadn't really meant it but it had worked.  
  
Harry absentmindedly doodled on his parchment. His mind was back on the dream, and he started to draw the little yellow bear that was there. Ron looked at his parchment and leaned over.  
  
"Cute. What is it?" Harry was about to tell Ron, but Professor Binns had asked him to read a passage in their books (which he rarely did). "Read from line 17!" Ron whispered to Harry, who read until Professor Binns told him to sit down.  
  
"What do we have next?" Harry asked Hermione as they followed her down the halls. Without looking at her timetable she said,  
  
"Flying lessons. Gryffindor needs a new Keeper and a Chaser so Madam Hooch is taking this as a chance for us to brush up on our flying and to choose people for the positions." Harry nodded and looked over at Ron who seemed to be off in a world of his own. Probably wants the position of Keeper, Harry thought to himself. He might just get it too- that would make three Weasley's on the team! Harry chuckled to himself as they stopped in front of the Quidditch field, where he could see the faint outlines of the maze that had been there before. Madam Hooch smiled when she saw him and he smiled back. They both knew that Harry didn't need the flying lessons she was about to teach. He wished they would have a more advanced class where he could try out the Wronsky Feint and other special tricks.  
  
"Welcome Gryffindor Fifth Years to your first flying lesson in a while! First we will be flying rings! One after the other please… Mr. Potter you may go first." Harry flew through the hoops with ease and at the end had 20 seconds to spare.  
  
"Yay! Harry!" Hermione and Ron cheered. "That was so cool!" Hermione said, once again regretting that she didn't have her camera with her.  
  
After all the students had gone through the rings they were practicing acceleration. Harry, Dean, Seamus, and Lavender went first. All they had to do was go back and forth on the Quidditch pitch as fast as they could. During this mindless activity Harry started to think about the dream again. He looked down at his broom and suddenly it had become something else! It was a red and gold cane with wings at the back. He blinked and lost his momentum. The next thing he knew he had flown into a goalpost.  
  
Below him Hermione and Ron were talking to each other.  
  
"Harry is an extraordinary flier." Said Ron with unmistakable admiration in his voice.  
  
"Yes!" nodded Hermione.  
  
"But sometimes he goes like that." Ron said.  
  
"Yes." Nodded Hermione. Harry landed and got permission from Madam Hooch to sit out for the rest of the class since he already had a place on the Gryffindor team.  
  
By the end of the day Harry had accumulated so much homework that he just went straight to the library without dinner. He wasn't very hungry anyway. Madame Pince had given him permission to stay in the library while she went out to get her food. Harry wasted no time, and started to study and practise the 'Invisable Skates' spell that Professor McGonagall had taught them that day. It would transform anyone's ordinary sneakers into gliding shoes- which could come in quite handy.  
  
As he studied he heard strange noises coming from the restricted section. After ten minutes they had annoyed him so much, that Harry got up and went over to the source of the noise. The books weren't supposed to be noisy unless a student opened them without permission, and he was the only one in the library.  
  
He stood in an empty hall of books, but the sound had stopped. A faint light caught Harry's eye and he turned to face it. It was a book that was glowing, and mesmerized by it, he pulled it out of the shelf and opened it up. As he did so he heard a strange sound like someone opening a lock. He ignored the sound and looked inside the book.  
  
Cards. There were cards in the book. Where there should have been pages there were cards in the book. Harry hesitantly turned back to the over of the book. The Clow it read.  
  
"Clow… nice." He turned back to the cards and picked the first one up. It was covered in dust, but the letters W-I-N showed. Harry started to walk.  
  
"Win…?" he was faintly aware of something cool gathering at his feet, "Win…" he wiped off the dust, "WINDY?" the faint breeze at his feet became a powerful gust of wind, and made a sound like an explosion. Harry screamed and dropped the book and held the WINDY card away from his face. The wind died down and Harry fell to the floor. All the other cards had been blown away. Just when he thought things couldn't get any weirder (and things were very weird, even for a wizard!) the open book started to glow again. Harry stared in disbelief as something small and yellow came out of the book. It was the bear-thing from his dream! The bear slowly opened it eyes and broke into a huge smile.  
  
"Whazzupp!?" it yelled leaving Harry even more confused.  
  
"N-north American… accent…?" Harry stammered stupidly. The thing stood on the floor and smiled again.  
  
"Well this book has been in Canada for so long I picked up the accent! And I-" Harry grabbed the thing and started to laugh nervously.  
  
"Hey, were are the batteries? The switch? Where is that voice coming from??" Harry tried in vain to shake the thing to find the battery holder, but it broke away.  
  
"I am no plush toy!! I am Kerberos! Guardian beast of the Seal!" Harry stared.  
  
"Kerberos…? Seal…?"  
  
"It is my job to make sure that the cards in here don't do…" Keroberos looked into the book and screamed, "The cards!! The cards!! Where are they?!" Harry handed him the WINDY card.  
  
"Is this it?" Kerberos took the card and wiped a tear from his eye.  
  
"Yes! Yes! This is it!" he calmed down a bit, "and the others?" he smiled. Harry bit his lip.  
  
"Well I read the name, WINDY…"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"…and this huge gust of wind came…"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"…and they all flew away!" they both laughed, but Kerberos stopped halfway and turned dead serious and panicky again.  
  
"WHAT!?!?"  
  
~  
  
Harry ran into the common room and ran up to his dorm, right past a very confused Hermione and Ron. Kerberos tried many times, but told Harry that he could not locate the cards.  
  
"There were Clow Cards in this book." Kerberos told Harry.  
  
"Clow Cards?"  
  
"Clow Cards. A powerful magician named, Clow Reed, created them a long time ago. The cards have unthinkable powers, and can cause total destruction. I have to get them back, and you," Kerberos pointed at Harry, "are coming with me!"  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"You are the one who scattered the cards with the Windy spell!" Kerberos said plainly. Harry looked sceptical.  
  
"Yes, but weren't you supposed to be guarding them?" Harry said. Kerberos laughed nervously.  
  
"Yeah… well I fell asleep."  
  
"For how long?" Harry asked slowly.  
  
"A-about 30 years…" Kerberos said quickly, making Harry stare at him, "STUFF HAPPENS! OKAY?!" Kerberos shouted so loudly that Harry was afraid that all of Gryffindor could hear him. To silence him he stuffed one of the Bertie Botts Cho had given him that morning into Kerberos' mouth.  
  
"You can have some of these, just don't be so loud!" Harry told him. Kerberos stood up and thought for a moment.  
  
"What's your name?" he asked.  
  
"Harry. Harry Potter." Kerberos nodded.  
  
"Stand over there Harry." He pointed to the middle of the room. Harry did so and the room became a black void. He looked around nervously. "Sealing key. There is a boy here wishing to make a contract with you. His name is Harry." As Kerberos said all of this, a small key came out of the book and floated over by Harry. Kerberos took a deep breath, "REALEASE!!" the key became the wand Harry had seen before and without thinking, he grabbed it out of the air.  
  
"Alright!! The birth of the Cardcaptor!!" Kerberos yelled and the black faded away to reveal Harry's regular dorm. Kerberos hadn't wasted any time. He was munching away happily at the Every Flavour Beans.  
  
"I am telling you I can not be the Cardcaptor!" Harry told Kerberos for the fifteenth time. Kerberos wasn't listening however, he was bouncing up and down happily on Harry's bed.  
  
"Wow, this is so fluffy!" Harry picked him up and looked him in the face.  
  
"I-can't-be-the-Cardcaptor! I have too many other things to worry about and do! Find someone else!" Kerberos laughed.  
  
"Who scattered the cards?" he said sarcastically. Harry frowned.  
  
"Who was it who was sleeping instead of guarding the cards?" they glared at each other, but were distracted by a strong gust of wind. Harry ran over to the window just on time to see an over-sized bird flying in the sky. The wind that it was making with it's wings was incredible and it had started to knock over trees and seemed to be aiming for Hogwarts.  
  
"It's the FLY card! Time for you to do your stuff Cardcaptor Harry!"  
  
"What?!" Harry, who had faced Voldemort four times in his entire life, felt he would rather do it again then fight this monstrous bird. Kerberos managed to get Harry outside.  
  
"What do I do?! And why in my pajamas?!" Harry cried as the bird flew over his head.  
  
"What is the only Cardcaptor saying!? Use your magic, like I showed you earlier!" Kerberos cried before he was thrown into the air by FLY. Harry took a deep breath and swallowed his fear. He held out the key.  
  
"Key that hides the forces of darkness, reveal your true form to me! I, Harry, command you under our contract! RELEASE!" the key was surrounded by a sphere of light, and then transformed into the Seal Cane. Most of it was bright red, with a thin gold stripe going around it. The bottom was a gold ball and the top had what looked like a Galleon sticking out of it, with a rainbow coloured lightning bolt on both sides. Harry knew by now that this was his trademark.  
  
The card was coming at him again and he was paralysed with fear. Kerberos came up beside him again and told him that WINDY could do the job, and that the rest he would have to figure out for himself.  
  
"I can summon my Firebolt then! And attack it from behind!" Harry said excitedly, but Kerberos shook his head.  
  
"I am afraid not. Clow Cards are a very powerful and different magic. FLY would just break your broom in half." Harry gasped and ducked as FLY almost hit him. FLY was up in the air, and suddenly it swooped down again. Harry had an idea.  
  
"Lapsusio!" he cried, while pointing his wand to his feet. In an instant he was 10cm from the ground and could slide around easily. The only thing he could relate it to would be skating or roller-blading. It was the only spell that had come to mind, as he had been practising it before in the library. He slid up the side of the school, making sure that his timing was completely accurate. He jumped onto FLY's back just as it swooped by, making it screech in anger. Harry held the WINDY card out in his hand and said the words that he hoped would end this madness.  
  
"WINDY, become a binding chain and trap FLY! WINDY!" he touched WINDY with his staff and it wrapped itself around FLY, causing it to fall to the ground, unable to move. Harry jumped off and closed his eyes.  
  
"I command you to return to the guise that you were meant to be in! FLY!!" Harry finished the command with his Sealing Cane and in a moment, FLY fell to the ground, as a card. Harry sat down and looked at his knees breathing heavily.  
  
"Harry! You were great!" Harry looked up and yelled out.  
  
"I thought I was going to die!!" Kerberos laughed and patted him on the head.  
  
"Nothing less from the Cardcaptor I chose! And plus, you will be a better adult if you have all sorts of experiences in your life!" Kerberos laughed, and Harry sniffed and stood up. "Why don't you try it out?" Kerberos said (referring to FLY).  
  
"Why, what can it do?" Harry asked him. Kerberos shook his head.  
  
"See for yourself!" Harry tapped the card with his cane and said it's name.  
  
"FLY!" Immediately, wings appeared on the ends of his cane and before he knew it he was flying in the night sky, with Kerberos beside him.  
  
"How does it feel?" Kerberos asked him happily.  
  
"Different than my Firebolt. Almost like it has a mind of its own, but it will obey me. The Firebolt responds to commands, but doesn't seem so 'alive'." Harry said. Kerberos laughed.  
  
"I look forward to workin' with you, Cardcaptor Harry!" Harry nodded but then shook his head.  
  
"As I have been saying, I never said I would!!" but Kerberos just laughed again. 


	2. Chapter Two: Harry's Wonderful Friends

Chapter Two: Harry's Wonderful Friends  
  
Aouthor's Note: This is chapter two. I hope it is good. Read and review!  
  
"Harreeeee! Harreeeee! It's 6:30, aren't you going to get up early??" said a voice that Harry had never heard before, in his ear. North American accent? No one in my dorm has that accent… so that means… Harry opened his eyes and looked around. His gaze fell on a beady pair of eyes attached to a big yellow face that was smiling at him. Harry screamed and blinked.  
  
"A plush toy?" the thing hit him on the head and told him to wake up. "Oh I remember now! You are Kerberos! The guardian beast of the Clow Cards!" Kerberos nodded, but hid himself from view as he saw Ron start to wake up. Ron was determined to wake Harry as soon as he woke up.  
  
"Harry get up now, I-" Ron saw Harry sitting up and stopped in mid-sentence. "Harry, you are awake before me! Is it going to rain today?" Ron sat up and looked out the window, annoying Harry.  
  
"For your information, I had someone wake me up this morning!!" Harry said without thinking. Ron looked around; everyone else was sleeping. "I mean the alarm on my watch!" Harry said frantically (while whispering to Kerberos to hide for the day, when Ron wasn't looking). Ron, though quite stupid when it comes to Muggles, was friends with enough Muggle-borns to know what a watch is. Ron nodded and told Harry that they could eat an early breakfast, so they got ready and started off to the Great Hall. As they walked down one flight of stairs, Harry remembered something.  
  
"Er, Ron. I need to go do something. I will meet you in the Great Hall!" Ron nodded and kept on walking. It was too early in the morning to ask Harry questions.  
  
Harry ran back up the stairs to the statue of Boris the Bewildered (the statue that guarded the entrance to the Prefect's Bathroom) and waited. He saw Cho pass it some mornings, so the Ravenclaw Common Room must not have been far off. He didn't think that she would walk by that day, but he looked down the hall to make sure no one saw him waiting. Something tapped him on the shoulder and Harry jumped.  
  
"Cho! You're here!!" Harry tried to hide his surprise. Cho smiled a smile that made Harry want to melt. She had put Enchanted Cherry Blossoms in her hair and had tied it back with chopsticks. She pulled a blossom out of her pocket (she likes to carry them around) and handed one to Harry.  
  
"For class." She said, smiling. Harry blushed, and stared at the flower in his hand.  
  
"Is it really okay?" he asked her uncertainly. She nodded, and Harry smiled too. He started to walk backwards down the hall, waving to her foolishly.  
  
"Thank you! Thank you very much!!" he waved one last time before tripping on a step.  
  
He met Ron at the bottom of the stairs and they walked into the Great Hall together where they met Hermione. She came up to them with a knapsack on her back that was bulkier than usual.  
  
"You woke up early too?" Harry asked her, obviously pleased that he was early for once. Hermione smiled and shook her head.  
  
"I wanted to show you two something. I hope it is okay if I show Ron as well. I was able to film something extremely amusing last night…" Hermione pulled her Muggle-camera- enchanted-to-make-perfect-films and turned on the view. Ron and Harry stared closely at the screen as she pushed the green play button. As he watched the film, Harry knew exactly what it was. It was a distant view of him using the card he had captured. Ron was looking at it puzzled as ever.  
  
"What is it?" Ron asked Hermione, Harry would have made up something, but he didn't trust himself to speak. Hermione smiled again and pushed the 'zoom-in' button.  
  
"This is a close up." She said. There was no mistaking Harry's face this time. It was him flying by the light of the moon in his green pyjamas with Kerberos flying beside him. Harry couldn't hold it in anymore.  
  
"Ahh!!" he yelled scrambling back away from the video-camera, falling over three chairs. Kerberos came flying out of Harry's knapsack as soon as he heard the noise. It was surprising that a creature of his size could yell so loudly.  
  
"Harry!! Are you okay?! Clow Cards?!?! Let me at 'em, I can take them all on!! Come on!!!" he stopped yelling when he saw that the only threat was being stared at to death. Ron and Hermione looked from the video-camera screen back to Kerberos twice before making the connection. Harry didn't know which was worse, being embarrassed by one of your best friends or being embarrassed by a stuffed toy.  
  
At lunch, however, Hermione and Ron couldn't wait to hear all about Harry's misadventure. They sat outside because of the warm weather to eat their meal. Kerberos leaned against Harry's knapsack and sat down.  
  
"Goodness, that was painful." He said, sighing. Hermione looked at Harry and after he didn't say anything said it herself.  
  
"Well…aren't you going to introduce us?" Hermione asked while Ron prodded Harry with a stick he found on the ground. Harry sighed and pointed to Kerberos.  
  
"He says his name is Kerberos…" he began. Ron laughed and Hermione grinned.  
  
"He doesn't look like his name." Hermione said.  
  
"We should call him Kero-chan… no just Kero." Ron said, making Kerberos go very pink.  
  
"Kerokero is the Japanese equivalent for ribbit ribbit, ya know! Don't call me like I am some kind of frog! I am Kerberos, guardian beast of the Clow Cards!!" Kero said loudly. Ron blinked.  
  
"Clow… Cards…?" He and Hermione said in unison. Harry sighed again, as if this whole ordeal was the most exhausting thing in the world. He explained everything that had happened to him up until that point. Ron and Hermione listened intently and only asked questions when Harry had finished.  
  
"Harry, if you don't mind, can I see how you use this new magic?" Hermione said. She was very excited to see and learn anything new whenever she could. Ron nodded. Harry hesitated, but Kero pushed him along.  
  
"Show 'em, show 'em! Do a flashy little one!" Kero told Harry. Reluctantly, Harry stood up (he looked around to make sure that no one was watching) and he released the Key in the most masculine way he could think of. Now Ron was the one who was excited.  
  
"And you can perform this new magic with this staff? Is it like a wand?" he asked Harry. He nodded humbly.  
  
"Yeah, but I need a card." Kero pulled FLY out of Harry's bag.  
  
"Like this!" Kero said cheerfully. Harry's face fell.  
  
"When… did… you…?" but they weren't listening. Hermione pulled out her camera and pointed it at Harry.  
  
"The Cardcaptor who protects us from the wrath of the Clow Cards!" she said, smiling.  
  
"That is too awesome!" Ron added.  
  
"Any comments on your first Cardcapture?" Hermione asked, sticking the camera in Harry's face. Ron laughed (again).  
  
"Hey, do you have a trademark pose yet?" he asked Harry, who looked at him questioningly, "Trademark poses are part of being a special magical gir- I mean boy!" They all laughed and talked a bit more about this new adventure until they had to go to class.  
  
(meanwhile, as they left, students who were playing in the grass didn't notice their shadows quickly leaving them.(  
  
The next morning Harry went to the Great Hall to eat and found it in shambles. Tables and chairs were piled up almost to the ceiling (which is very high when you think about how high the Great Hall ceiling is). Seamus, Neville, and Dean were already there, gaping at the mess. Harry tapped Dean on the shoulder.  
  
"What is going on here?" Harry asked them, and Neville, always the sensitive one, shivered.  
  
"Harry! It was like this when we got here!" Seamus said, obviously worried. Neville nodded, and Ron and Hermione came in, just as surprised as Harry had been. On an impulse, they ran to their first classroom to find the same thing had happened to it."  
  
"I'll bet we will be the ones that have to clean all of this up!" Dean said, sighing. While everyone else was looking forlorn, Hermione was looking thoughtful. She kept her voice low so only Harry and Ron could hear.  
  
"Do you think this could be the work of a Clow Card?" she asked him hesitantly. Harry nodded.  
  
Harry and his friends did have to clean up the mess, but afterwards they were so tired (they had to do it without magic since the desks were designed to repel any spell put on them, to prevent students from vandalizing them) they got the rest of the day off. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in a corner of the Gryffindor Common Room away from everyone else, talking to Kero but keeping him shielded from view.  
  
"Definitely a Clow Card!" he concluded, and Hermione smiled.  
  
"Just as I thought!" she said while clapping her hands together. Harry didn't seem too interested in the thought of a Clow Card however.  
  
"It was such a bother to clean everything up! Even the Dursley's don't make me do things like that! Not that they have things like that for me to do…" Harry said, but Ron rolled his eyes.  
  
"At least we got the rest of the day off!"  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"You know what this means don't you? Tonight we have to capture that card!" said Kero, loud enough that a few people glanced over to them. Ron glared at them as if to say 'what are you looking at!?'. Harry shook his head vigorously.  
  
"No, no! Not at night!" he said stubbornly, making Ron and Hermione stare.  
  
"Well some cards are only active at night!" Kero told him, but Harry still shook his head.  
  
"I have been out at night, against the rules I might add, many many times, but even then if I made the slightest noise… the FLY card was outside where Filch hardly ever guards, but if this thing is in the school. NO! I wont do it- too dangerous!" Harry said, as if that would finish the conversation. Hermione and Ron grinned.  
  
"True, Hogwarts at night can be a risky ordeal…" Ron started, allowing Hermione to finish. Harry looked at him gratefully.  
  
"That is why we will go with you!" Hermione said enthusiastically, surprising the whole group (except for Ron, who knew what was coming), "I can take this as a chance to put more pictures in the yearbook! But, no more of this pyjamas thing, please. I have been making outfits in my spare time, and I am positive they would fit you! And don't worry, they aren't girly!" Ron laughed so hard that people were staring again. Harry didn't think anything could be more embarrassing than Hermione catching him on camera flying through the sky on a staff with wings in his pyjamas, but he was wrong. Very wrong.  
  
"We must also work on your trademark pose too!" she added as an afterthought.  
  
"Why me?!" Harry yelled.  
  
But sure enough, that night in the girls toilets (that were haunted my Moaning Myrtle) there was a humiliated Harry, a laughing Ron, and an entertained Hermione. She had given him a dark black and red outfit that she had said, "would be as good as the Invisibility Cloak!" (Harry had suggested that he would use the Invisibility Cloak instead, but Kero said it would make him more nearsighted, the Clow Card would be able to see through it, and plus, Ron and Hermione needed it in-case Filch came by). The outfit Hermione had called a 'Battle Costume' was actually very stylish, and though Harry was humiliated beyond belief it was hard for him to pretend not to like it. Hermione had given him a dark red cape-type cloak that tied below his neck (in a knot) with two black ribbons. Attached to the cape were black sleeves that went down to his wrists, and ended with a red seam. Under the cape he had a black turtleneck and red pants. The shoes were black and one of the finest pairs that Harry had ever worn. Hermione gave Kero a matching bow that went around his neck.  
  
"Very cute!" she said, applauding. She then handed Harry a black hat that looked like a burette. When he refused to put it on, she forcefully put it on his head, and pulled it down over his eyes. He adjusted it and looked over to Ron. Ron, however, seemed to have laughed himself out, and was looking thoughtful.  
  
"It must be great to have friends that will go though all this trouble for you Harry…" Ron said. Harry nearly choked on his surprise,  
  
"RON! Not this again!" the year before Ron had gotten so jealous of Harry that he stopped talking to him for a brief period until he realized that his friend really needed him and had never asked to be famous.  
  
Ron shook his head, "No, don't worry, I was just wondering if you guys would do stuff like this for me." Hermione raised her eyebrows and reached for the door, but Ron pulled her back, "NOT that I want to be dressed up like him!" he said quickly, making Harry and Hermione laugh. Kero was about to say something, but was interrupted by a large bang that sounded like it came from the Great Hall.  
  
"Let's go!" Harry cried, running as he released his Key. They arrived in time to see one of the suits of armour that was by the wall fly over to them. They moved out of the way just before it was thrown at them. Once it floated back up into the air, Harry started to be scared. No one in Hogwarts would ever do this- not even Peeves! Whatever this Clow Card was, it was dangerous.  
  
"It's floating!! It's floating!" Harry yelled numbly. Ron, however was staring (and pointing) at the ground.  
  
"Harry look!" Where there should only have been one shadow, there were two.  
  
Hermione screamed, "there is nothing there, but there is a shadow!"  
  
"Shadow…?" Kero thought out loud. Whatever he was going to tell them was interrupted, because the knight was once again, being thrown at them. They hid one room away to catch their breath. "That is the SHADOW Card!" Kero told them, and Harry bravely went back into the Great Hall. Kero, Ron, and Hermione watched worriedly as the shadows became too much for Harry to handle. They came at him from every direction and he hit them with his cane, but it was hopeless. He released FLY to fly above the shadows, but they grabbed hold of his cane. He yelled but it did nothing.  
  
"Isn't there anything we can do?!" Hermione asked Kero frantically. Ron nodded in agreement.  
  
Kero thought for a moment, "It's impossible for Harry to win, SHADOW has collected all of the shadows of the students in the school! Unless… if we were to shine light on it, all of the other shadows would disappear, leaving the main body of SHADOW. But it is night time, so…" Hermione and Ron smiled.  
  
"Leave things like that to us!" Hermione cried (still filming Harry through the door.  
  
Meanwhile, Harry was still trying to escape the shadows by flying to the ceiling, but it wasn't working. The shadows had grabbed the back of his broom and were pulling him down. He couldn't do anything, even if he wanted to! Suddenly, all of the candles in the Great Hall became lit, and the tremendous pull on Harry's Staff ceased. On the stairs Harry saw Ron, Hermione, and Kero waving to him and smiling. He flew over to them and asked them what they did to make all of the shadows disappear.  
  
Hermione grinned (still filming Harry), "Kero said that if we shone a bright enough light on the shadows, all but the main body would leave. It is impossible to make the sun rise, but I happen to know where Dumbledore keeps the put-outer for this room! I returned all of the lights to the candles and torches!" Harry thanked her and flew to the ground. A figure that was wearing a long black cloak was approaching him. It reminded him slightly of a tall Dementor.  
  
Kero yelled to Harry from above him, "Harry! That is SHADOW's true form! Show 'em the result of your special training!" Harry nodded and leapt out of the way as SHADOW tried to hit him. He pulled out WINDY.  
  
"WINDY! Become a binding chain and trap SHADOW! WINDY!!" WINDY trapped SHADOW like she did to FLY and SHADOW was unable to move. Harry didn't waste any time, "SHADOW! I command you to return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!!" SHADOW became a Card, and Harry held it in his hand happily. Hermione (and the others) came down, and Hermione stood in front of Harry with her camera smiling. Harry grinned and tried out his pose. He made a peace-sign with his right hand (holding SHADOW in his left) and winked. Hermione gave him the thumbs up sign, and turned off the camera.  
  
The next day was Saturday, so Harry took his time, and made sure that he had the Cards with him at all times. He didn't want someone like Draco to get their hands on them! He walked down the halls, looking for Hermione and Ron. He passed Neville on the way, and asked him where they were.  
  
Neville pointed down the hall and said, "I thought I saw them go into Professor McGonagall's classroom, and Hermione had a video-camera. Does she have that much footage already?" Harry blushed and shrugged his shoulders. He thanked Neville and ran into the classroom where he nearly choked on his surprise (again). In the room was Hermione and Ron, watching the video that they had taken that night. Apparently Hermione had added background music and increased the sound. Harry slowly walked up to them and saw Hermione watching the video with a dazed look, and Ron was nodding. When she saw Harry, she jumped up and beamed at him.  
  
"I am so glad this turned out so well! Wizard film is so much better than Muggle videos!" She rewinded the video and made him watch the whole thing, pointing out his strong and weak points. Afterwards she turned it off and brought a small blue cube out of her pocket, and transferred the "film" (that she had put in her wand for them to project on the wall) into the cube, and tucked it safely away in her pocket again. "Harry! You must let us come along whenever you are going out to capture Clow Cards again! I will be your official camerawoman and costume designer! And next time I will add more colour and patterns!" Hermione said with a sigh, making Ron laugh. Harry sighed and wondered how Hermione always managed to talk people into things like this. 


	3. Chapter Three: Harry's Heart-Pounding Fi...

Chapter Three: Harry's Heart-Pounding First Date  
  
Author's Note: ^_^ The next chapters wont be up as fast, but I will be working on them! I hope this one isn't too weird…  
  
_________  
  
Harry looked through the glass at a giant boa constrictor that looked a bit familiar. He winked at it through the glass just to see what it would do. It winked back and put it's face to the glass and whispered something to Harry.  
  
"I think I know you." The snake said. Harry nodded and the snake continued, "you are the boy who set me free in that horrible Muggle zoo." Harry nodded again.  
  
"Yes! That was me! Why are you here, in Hagrid's Beast Sanctuary?" Harry asked the snake. Hagrid's Beast Sanctuary. Rubeus Hagrid, one of Harry's close friends, had a love for all animals. After he had come back from his peace-keeping mission during July, Hagrid had decided to make a sort of Magical Zoo. He had put it in Hogsmead and since it was their Hogsmead trip- day, Harry and his friends had gone to see it. They had passed the Air-Animals, and were in the Reptile House.  
  
Harry's friend(s) still couldn't get used to the sight of Harry hissing and spitting at a snake, for he was a Parsletongue; someone who could speak with snakes. It was a very rare gift, and it had been a gift that Salzar Slytherin and Voldemort/Tom Riddle had posessed.  
  
"Well, I was on my way to Brazil when I met the big man called Hagrid. He said some things I couldn't understand, and then before I knew it, I was here. This is nothing like the other Zoo, this is better than Brazil!" the snake said, smiling. Harry grinned back, he knew for a fact that Hagrid would make all of the animals feel quite at home.  
  
Harry told the snake that he was glad to see he was doing fine, and moved on to the stairs that would lead them to the Water Animals. Harry was especially excited about this because Hagrid was putting on a show with the Plimpies. Harry dragged Hermione video camera and all (Ron told them that he couldn't come that day for a reason he wouldn't say) to the Plimpy show and waited excitedly.  
  
As they stood outside the Plimpy Aquarium, Harry saw a door open by the wall, and Hagrid walked out, holding a rather large bucket of water. He knelt by the water and dumped the contents of the bucket into the empty aquarium. Five green balls fell into the water and stretched out their legs. They had a fin at the top of their heads and small beady eyes. These, Harry thought to himself, are Plimpies. They were very amusing to watch as Hagrid gave a demonstration of how Merpeople tie their legs into a knot, making them float around for hours. Then, to everyone's surprise, he brought some Grindylows out. He explained to everyone that they were very strong swimmers, but thought they can't breath under water, are not very agile on land. One of the Grindylows tried to grab Hagrid's boot, but stopped and started to be pulled down to the bottom of the water. At first Harry thought this was a special act that Hagrid had prepared, but upon seeing the Gryndylow struggling to get to the surface, he got worried. Hagrid jumped into the water to help the Grindylow out of whatever was holding it down, but he got pulled under too.  
  
"Hagrid!!" Harry screamed, pounding on the glass, willing it to break. He couldn't sit back and watch his friend drown! Hagrid reached an arm above the water and grabbed onto the ledge, pulling his head above the surface. He was breathing heavily, but he was alright. The Grindylow, however, was still drowning. Hagrid's foot was stuck in the force that was keeping the Grindylow down and couldn't save it.  
  
"What is going on here?!" Harry heard a familiar voice say. Harry tore his eyes from Hagrid and looked at the door in the aquarium. Ron was standing there with two metal pails in his hands. Hagrid looked up and him and gasped for a breath.  
  
"Grindylow is drowning! My foot is stuck, I can't save it!" Ron dropped the buckets and plugged his nose. Before Harry could warn him against it, he dove into the water and was breaking the swirl of water around the Grindylow and Hagrid's foot. Surprisingly enough, he managed to do so, and he and the Grindylow floated back up to the surface without trouble.  
  
Hermione sighed and her trembling grip on her camcorder became steady again. "That was close!" she said, and Harry nodded.  
  
"Ron…?" he wondered aloud.  
  
~  
  
  
  
"What?! You almost drowned Harry?!" Kero yelled, panicking. Harry glared at him and shook his head. Harry was sitting on his bed in his dorm making a new brand of sweets that he swore would be a success. Fred and George Weasley had given him a magical-pastry-maker for his birthday and he had taken up creating a healthy chocolate bar, and a very very fattening one (for Dudley). He had already finished the one for Dudley, but the healthy one was trickier than he had expected.  
  
"You weren't listening were you Kero? I won't let you test my chocolate anymore!" Harry snapped at Kero. Kero patted Harry on the shoulder and smiled.  
  
"Oh, Sir Harry! Please, don't deny me any of your marvellous chocolate!" Kero said, making Harry laugh. He poured the molten (literally) chocolate into a mould and read the instructions.  
  
"It says here that I need to keep it in a bright room and stir it while purple clouds go by… WHAT??" Harry read the bizarre directions over again, "or if there are no purple clouds at the time, regular clouds will do. That still doesn't make sense…" Harry sighed and picked up the chocolate mould. "To the Great Hall! Hide in my pocket for now." Kero jumped into Harry's cloak pocket and they went down to the Great Hall.  
  
As they sat at an empty table (the chocolate cooling very quickly) Kero inquired more about the incident.  
  
"You say the trainer and Grindylow almost drowned?" Kero asked him. Harry nodded, "that is strange to hear, since Grindylows are supposed to be very good swimmers… did you see anything holding them down?" Harry thought for a moment.  
  
"No, just water swirling about. But there was something familiar about it. Like…" Harry searched for the word.  
  
"Like when you are facing a Clow Card?" Kero said, hopefully. Harry nodded, and gave Kero a piece of chocolate. Kero chewed the chocolate with a look of delight on his face and swallowed it.  
  
"Harry!" a soft voice called from across the room. Harry froze as he saw who it was. Ron, and Cho (Cho had called his name). Harry regained his senses and stuffed Kero into his pocket. They came over to where Harry was, and sat down beside him. Harry had learned that year that the Weasleys and the Changs were actually very close, and Ron and Cho had been friends since they were very young. Their friendship had faded when the Changs had decided to move to China. A year before Cho started Hogwarts, they moved back to England. Cho and her family had stayed at the Burrow for two weeks during the summer, and she and Ron had started to become friends again.  
  
"Hi!" Harry croaked and Ron snickered. He knew all about Harry's infatuation with Cho. Harry shot him a look, "Ron, what were you doing at the Plimpy/Grindylow show today?"  
  
"I feed, the Aquatic Animals." He said matter-of-factly. "I am old enough to have a job now, so Hagrid offered me a spot in his new Animal Sanctuary." Harry smiled, picturing himself teasing the Plimpies before giving them their food.  
  
"You are really lucky, Ron! It must be so much fun, to work there!" Harry said sinserely. Ron shook his head.  
  
"Not really…"  
  
"Why?" What could be wrong with feeding the animals? Ron reached out and grabbed a piece of chocolate.  
  
"Because." He said, and swallowed the candy. Ron reached for another one, but Harry grabbed his wrist.  
  
"You are so mean!! I got that chocolate-maker from Fred and George on my birthday!!" he whined. Ron mumbled something about sharing, but put the chocolate back.  
  
"Well, Cho says she can help me study for my Muggle Studies test, so we're off to the library." Ron said as he pushed in his chair. Harry had a brilliant idea.  
  
"Cho!" she turned to look at him, smiling. "If you don't mind… would you like to try some of my chocolate later on? I can bring it into the library…" he said, and realized he must be blushing.  
  
"Did I hear you right before? You got this from your birthday, and you made it by yourself? You must be a very good cook, I can't boil water without burning it!" she said, laughing at her joke. Harry looked at his toes.  
  
"I don't think I am that good…" he mumbled, and Ron grinned.  
  
"Yeah, he isn't really!" Harry kicked him in the shins to quiet him up.  
  
"It really wouldn't be any trouble, I need people to test them out!" Harry said quickly. Cho bent down so she was at the same height he was (Harry was sitting down).  
  
"Thank you." She said. Harry grinned and congratulated himself as they walked away. He sunk into his seat and sighed as he watched her walk away. Ron turned around when Cho wasn't looking, and gave Harry a thumbs-up sign.  
  
Harry took the chocolate out of the moulds and added vitamin B, C, D, A, calcium, and every other vitamin he could think of. He then added brown sugar and Raspy-Raspberry powder (something Fred and George had invented. It has nothing to do with rasping, but gives you a "slight" popping sensation in your mouth, with raspberry flavour) and put them on a plate.  
  
As he stood outside the library door he realized that he couldn't open the door, nor could he knock because his hands were full, and if he used his feet he would surely loose his balance and fall. He heard a voice inside and then the door opened.  
  
"Thank you for going to all this trouble Harry." Cho said, smiling (as usual). She took the plate out of his hands and placed it on the oak table, where Ron was peering at Harry over a pile of about 15 books.  
  
"Um! How did you know I was there?" Harry inquired. Cho blinked and gave Harry a piercing stare.  
  
"Just a hunch… that you had brought something for us." She said, and they both laughed.  
  
Harry ran down the halls into his dorm with a goofy smile on his face. He leaned against the door and fell down, singing Cho's name. Kero flew out of his pocket (very annoyed) and poked him in the face. Harry got up and took Kero in his hands and wobbled around the room saying Cho's name until finally falling over.  
  
"What are you gonna do, if you are being so lifeless like this!? What happened to your duties as the Cardcaptor?!" Kero yelled, but Harry didn't open his eyes.  
  
"Cho is much more interesting than Clow Cards…" he said lazily. Kero struggled to break Harry's grip.  
  
"Well are you okay with the idea of your friend and the water animals drowning?!" Kero said. Harry sat up and opened his eyes, releasing Kero ("I thought I was gonna die…").  
  
"No, I don't want that. That too sad." Said Harry, coming back into reality.  
  
Kero thought for a moment, "so you said that both the trainer AND Grindylow almost drowned?" Harry nodded and Kero continued, "It was strange for me to hear that the Grindylow almost drowned because they are very good swimmers, and by what you tell me the trainer is half-Giant?" Harry nodded again and Kero went on to explain that he suspected it was the WATERY Card in the aquarium. He also said that only a very powerful magician can create a totally new magic like Clow Reed did, and that there were only a few of them in the world. He told Harry that almost anyone with magical powers is able do magic like Clow's if they follow the right steps. "Among all of the Clow Cards, there are the four element cards, EARTHY, WATERY, FIREY, and WINDY, which are the most powerful. What makes the situation worse is that WATERY is an attack Card with a fierce temper. WINDY could never stand up to WATERY because it is too gentle. The Cards you have now are SHADOW, WINDY, and FLY. It's no use with just those cards, Harry."  
  
"But-" Harry tried to ask, but Kero shook his head, and the subject was closed.  
  
Harry walked by the side of the lake, pacing back and forth. He had no idea what to do, and he didn't want to put anyone in danger any longer with WATERY loose. Kero had said that it was impossible even if he somehow combined the Cards… Harry knelt by the lake and ran his hands through the water. No idea's came to him.  
  
How do you capture water…?  
  
Hermione sat down beside him and sighed. She seemed to know what was bothering him without him telling her.  
  
"I seems," she said softly, "that a task suitable for upholders of justice has fallen on your shoulders again."  
  
Harry told her what Kero had said to him before, she listened carefully. When he finished she nodded solemnly.  
  
As they walked to the Castle, Hermione pulled something out of her pocket. It was a small red package and opened it up. Inside were four small white plastic things that resembled molars. Hermione handed him one and he looked at it questioningly.  
  
"As you know, both of my parents are dentists. Well my mother's company is a dental product company and this summer they came out with these," she pointed at the teeth, "they are for bleaching individual teeth. I er- borrowed a few and received Dumbledore's permission to enchant them. They are a perfectly harmless communication tool. It took me a while to do so, but I finally made them." She handed him another one, "this one is for Kero. The other two are for Ron and myself."  
  
"How do I use it?" Harry asked her.  
  
"Well, if you want to talk to someone, such as me. You would have to use your tongue to push it in, like a button, and then say my name out loud. Mine would let me, and me only, hear my name being called and I would be able to answer by talking normally. A bit like a Muggle telephone!" Hermione smiled smugly, but Harry looked at them uneasily.  
  
"Are you sure it is okay…?"  
  
"Positive! Tell me if they work alright, I will be able to tell my mother!" She laughed making Harry smile. "That's better, Harry! A smile suits you much better!"  
  
Hermione went straight to the Great Hall, but Harry didn't want to loose her COMT (as she called the tooth covers) so he decided to put them away in his dorm right away. He zoomed up the stairs, not watching where he was going at all. The people passed as a blur. As he turned a corner he bumped into something, making both himself and the thing he bumped into fall over. He kept his eyes closed out of embarrassment; he didn't want to see the person he had knocked over so carelessly. But he found himself slowly opening his eyes. A pair of grey eyes was staring at him with concern.  
  
"Cho!" He yelled, startled. She frowned and picked up her books, helping up Harry.  
  
"You have to be careful in these halls Harry, you almost hurt yourself." She said as she handed him the parcel. Harry looked at his feet, like a child being scolded.  
  
"I am sorry, I was just in a hurry." He said sheepishly. She smiled at him.  
  
"You know Harry, that chocolate you made the other day was very good! I want to pay you back for it…" she trailed off as she thought to herself, "I know! I'll take you to a new place I found that serves pretty good food. I'll meet you there for lunch tomorrow near the Whomping Willow at 1:15, alright?" Harry was at a loss for words.  
  
"A-are you sure? I would love to!" he sputtered.  
  
"Great! I will see you then!" she said, and walked away. Harry was so happy he felt as though he was walking on air. He ran to his dorm a bit dizzily (almost running into the wall) and shut the door behind him. He leaned against the door and fell to the ground, singing Cho's name.  
  
"What, what? This again?" Kero asked him irritably. Harry just smiled at him and put the COMT's away, not bothering to answer any of Kero's questions about what they were, and when he would be able to eat.  
  
Harry ran down the stairs and into the Great Hall sliding into a seat beside Hermione and across from Ron. Ron handed him a plate of roast and vegetables, and asked him why he was acting so weird.  
  
"I'm so happy…" Harry replied dreamily, "I am going on a date with Cho tomorrow… I am meeting her near the Whomping Willow at 1:15 for lunch…" he took a mouthful of mashed potatoes and laughed, "I'm so excited!" and drifted off into a dream world. Hermione and Ron exchanged mischievous glances and went on to eat their dinners.  
  
Harry arrived at the Whomping Willow (4.5 metres away from it actually) and saw that Cho was already there. She waved at him and smiled (again) and he returned the gesture. Harry wasn't quite sure where they were going, but he didn't really care. They walked around Hogwarts Castle and started down a hill that lead to Hogshead.  
  
"Um, Cho… Did I mistake the time?" Harry asked tentatively. Cho shook her head.  
  
"No, I came early because I didn't want to keep you waiting!"  
  
"Oh…" Harry said, making Cho chuckle.  
  
As they walked through the grounds, they were unaware of three silent figures slowly following them.  
  
Cho stopped outside a light blue building with messy pictures of fish painted onto it. Over the doors it read,  
  
"Beast Sanctuary, Water Animals! Hey! I was here before!" Harry said excitedly, and Cho nodded.  
  
"Yes, you did come here with your friend Hermione, didn't you? They shooed everyone out after the Grindylow incident though…" they entered the building, Harry almost bursting with excitement.  
  
Under a large oak tree outside the Aquarium, however, there were the three figures that had been stalking Harry and Cho. Hermione, Ron, and Kero hid themselves behind a bush (which was by the tree) and laughed to themselves.  
  
"This is great!" giggled Hermione, patting her video-camera, "I will get to film Harry on his first date…" she looked at Kero,  
  
"I will be able to check if it really is a Clow Card…" they both looked at Ron who smiled,  
  
"and I…" he looked at his watch, "have to go now!! Bye!" and ran away. Hermione and Kero didn't bother to look at where he was going, they just grinned at each other, Hermione's large sunglasses glinting in the sunlight. She had even got a pair for Kero.  
  
They ran in to the aquarium on time to see Harry and Cho looking at a rather large fish.  
  
"That's a pretty big fish!" said Cho.  
  
"Yeah…" said Harry, in amazement.  
  
"I wonder if I could eat it." Cho said, making Harry move his gaze from the fish to her.  
  
"Wouldn't that be too much for one person?" he asked her. She shook her head.  
  
"I don't think so…"  
  
Hermione zoomed into the fish for effect and then back to show Harry and Cho watching it. Kero looked at them, a bit annoyed.  
  
"What? They're not even going to hold hands? Kids these days…" he said before he got smacked on the head by a small boy who couldn't be more than 7.  
  
"Hi Mr. Teddy Bear! Hee hee!" the little boy giggled, but ceased as Kero turned around very slowly (he had been in Hermione's pocket, wit his head sticking out) and looked at the little boy.  
  
"Young one…" he said, making his voice sound deeper and tougher, "you will get hurt if you mess with me!" the little boy blinked and started to shift away from Kero.  
  
"They're moving!" said Hermione. Kero turned to the child,  
  
"Farewell." He said, as Hermione moved away. They boy tugged at his mother's arm, still staring after Kero.  
  
"Wow! They are so cool!" Harry said, in awe as he watched the tropical fish in a giant tank that reached from the bottom of one floor, to two stories up. Their vibrant colours amazed him, and they seemed to have a hypnotic influence on him as they swam back and forth. "I never saw this part before!!" he said to Cho.  
  
"Well remember, they made everyone leave when Mr. Hagrid and the Grindylow almost drowned, so you never got to see this. So you didn't know that they have a sort of café here…" she pointed below them at a small cluster of about five tables and a juice bar. Something bright red caught Harry's eye and he realized that it was the hair of one of the waiters. Ron.  
  
They sat down at a small table closest to the fish. "While you eat, you can watch the pretty fish go by." Cho explained to Harry, who nodded vigorously. Aunt Petunia had a few tropical fish at her house on Privit Drive, but the ones that Harry was looking at now were kinds that he had never seen. Some had the whole rainbow alternating on their scales, while others would just change from colour to colour.  
  
"Would you like to order now?" Ron said, startling Harry.  
  
"Yes, please." Cho said to him.  
  
"Ron, weren't you feeding the water animals?" Harry asked him. Ron shrugged.  
  
"They are draining the tanks to see what caused the accident so they moved me here."  
  
"Ron told me that he had to work a lot in the cold freezer where they keep the penguin feed. It must be a nice change, right?" said Cho.  
  
"Its basically the same, except this time I have to make snow- cones instead." He said casually.  
  
Cho looked to Harry, "you know, they make great snow-cones here! I like the strawberry banana ones!" and she started to tell Ron her order. Something stirred inside Harry. Snow-cones… snow-cones…  
  
"Are you sure you don't want an extra large?" Ron asked her and she raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Oh, they have extra large?"  
  
Hermione and Kero watched from above, Hermione making sure not to miss one moment, and Kero frowning.  
  
"What? A date with his friend watching over him?" he complained, not realizing that he was doing just that. Hermione didn't have time to laugh at Kero because she caught something strange on her camera. A crack was forming in the glass! Before she had time to warn Harry below her, the glass broke and water started to fill up the room. Hermione watched, helpless, as the water level grew taller and taller. Ron, Cho, and the rest of the people had floated to the surface and were climbing the stairs to get dried off, but Harry was caught on something under the water!  
  
Harry's lungs were screaming for air, but he couldn't get loose. The source of what was holding him down seemed to be at his left foot, and when he looked at it he saw water swirling about. He tried in vain to swim to the surface; the pull was too strong.  
  
"EXPELLIARMUS!!" Cho screamed, pointing her wand at the door. It burst into pieces and all of the water flowed down the stairs into the other rooms, spaced out enough that no one would be in danger. Harry coughed out mouthfuls of water and fell back onto the ground, inhaling the air like it was something he hadn't had in many years. Ron rushed over to him and helped him up the stairs where Hermione (and Kero, who was under her hat) were waiting. Harry leaned against the wall and grimaced.  
  
"I thought I was going to die!" he said dramatically. Hermione sat beside him and asked him if he was alright. "Yeah…"  
  
"It was definitely WATERY!" Kero whispered to Harry. Harry stared at him for a moment and then pointed at him.  
  
"By the way, what are you two doing here?" he said confusedly. Hermione glanced up at Kero and he looked down at her. They blushed and laughed nervously. Before Harry could question them any further, Kero hid from sight under Hermione's hat as Cho approached Harry, putting her wand away looking relieved. She stood beside Harry.  
  
"That was a close one, huh?" she asked him, and he nodded, his train of thought before returning to him, "those snow-cones went to waste didn't they?" she said sadly. Snow-cones…  
  
Harry blushed, "no…" 'Snow-cones… snow-cones… snow… ice…? Ice!!' Harry looked up at Cho and beamed at her, his eyes shining.  
  
"Thank you so much Cho!!" he said with such sincerity she could only stammer.  
  
"Are you sure no one will see us?" Harry asked Hermione worriedly. She nodded, never taking the camera focus off of him. The Battle Costume she had made him this time was stranger than the last one. The main colours this time were blue and white, and the style, Harry thought, made him look like a jester. The baggy shirt that he wore over a waterproof suit had a checkerboard pattern and had blue spikes at the neck. He had a matching hat and black pants. She had given Kero something that went around his neck and matched the spikes on Harry's collar.  
  
"Alright, Harry?" Ron said, and Harry nodded. They were about to sneak into the 'Water Animals Sanctuary' and capture WATERY. Harry had told them his plan before and they all agreed that it was probably the only way.  
  
As they sneaked by a sleeping Hagrid (reminding themselves that he wouldn't mind if he knew their cause), Kero stuck his tongue out at him, and was promptly disciplined by Harry. There was no time for fooling around.  
  
Harry ran through the halls with Ron and Hermione running beside him. "Go now!" he told them, and they disappeared down the stairs. Harry half leaped half flew over to the top of an aquarium where he could feel WATERY's presence. His tongue touched a molar on the top/left of his mouth.  
  
"Hermione! Ron!" he said, feeling a bit foolish talking to thin air.  
  
"We found it Harry!" Hermione replied excitedly.  
  
"It's in the basement, like you thought!" Ron informed him. Harry grinned. Everything was going smoothly.  
  
"Okay, great! Now hide!" he ordered them. He turned off the COMT and turned to look down into the water. He straightened his back and cleared his throat.  
  
"WATERY!" Harry said in a commanding voice, brandishing his Sealing Staff. "Come and get me if you can!" A jet of water burst from the deeps and stopped in front of Harry. The water seemed to be in the shape of a head of some kind of animal with large fangs and menacing eyes. He brought FLY out from his pocket and threw it in the air, tapping it with his Staff. "FLY!" The miniscule wings on his Staff grew larger, and soon his was flying through the building, dodging bullets of water that WATERY sent at him. It divided and regrouped itself many times, but never hitting the Gryffindor Seeker. Harry saw the sign for the staircase ahead of him, and prepared for a sharp turn. He made sure Kero was still with him, and transferred all of his weight to his right side, and sped down the stairs, getting dizzier with each turn. WATERY was in a terrible temper by now, not only trying to knock Harry off of his Staff, but to knock him out! Just when he thought he couldn't do it any longer, he saw Hermione up ahead (with her video-camera). She waved to him, and pointed to the left exit, and moved to the right to sit with Ron so she wouldn't get hurt.  
  
"Thanks!" Harry said as he went by them. They gave him the thumbs up sign and he went down the last set of stairs.  
  
Harry jumped off of the Staff in front of a large metal door. He took a deep breath and took out WINDY. The jet of water stopped momentarily by his face, and he took advantage of the pause.  
  
"WINDY!" he yelled. WINDY did a few circles around WATERY and Harry (who shielded his eyes from the wind). The metal door that was mentioned before opened wide and both Cards went inside the room. Harry quickly shut the door and wiped sweat from his brow.  
  
"Harry!" Hermione squealed excitedly. She and Ron ran over and stood beside him, waiting to see what would happen next. Kero checked Hermione's watch.  
  
"I should be about done now!" he said. Carefully, they opened the door and peered inside. WATERY was frozen solid.  
  
Harry held up his Sealing Staff. "WATERY! I command you to return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!!" there was a great blowing of wind, and once it cleared up, a card fluttered to the ground before Harry. He picked it up and smiled to the camera before Hermione turned it off.  
  
"Brilliant plan Harry!" said Ron enthusiastically. Harry blushed.  
  
"It was because of Cho that I thought of it!" his eyes donned a faraway look, "Cho…"  
  
Kero waved his little hand in front of Harry's face and shook his head. "It looks like Harry is frozen too!" he thought for a moment. "Alright! We even have punch line this time! Act crazy next time too, Harry!!" 


	4. Chapter Four: Harry’s Tiring Sunday

Chapter Four: Harry's Tiring Sunday  
  
Author's Note: I hope the previous chapters haven't been too confusing. I put Harry's thoughts in italics, but now I see that they don't work -_-" Thoughts will be like 'this' and things italicized and bolded for effect will be like _this_.  
  
Regarding Ijuin_kun's review:  
  
I am trying to keep things like those out of the story, but it is very difficult to follow the plot if I do so. Since we don't know a lot about Cho (yet) she _could_ have a big appetite, but I doubt it. I am keeping it though.  
  
I will try to make Hermione a little bit less enthusiastic, but she does take her job as editor very seriously, and tends to over do it. I hope the next chapters are better (and that Harry isn't too cheerful)…  
  
_______  
  
Harry woke up on Sunday with a song in his heart. He had woken up last, as usual, but didn't seem to mind. He opened the window and took a loud, deep breath of fresh air.  
  
"Hey, hey? What's this about?" Kero asked him. Harry just smiled and took hold of Kero's paws, swinging him around.  
  
"I am going to have a picnic with Ron and Hermione today! You can come too, if you pretend to be a toy until we get there. No one will see you!" he informed Kero happily, and let go. 'It isn't often that I get a whole day to spend with my friends!' Harry reminded himself.  
  
Kero flew across the room and walked around dizzily.  
  
Ron poked his head in the door. "Mr Sleep in, your breakfast is going to get cold."  
  
Harry smiled at Ron and told him he would be down in a moment. He got dressed and left Kero in his room.  
  
"Harry! You sure are in a good mood!" Lavender commented as she saw the happy bounce in Harry's step. He grinned at her and Parvati.  
  
"I am going to have a picnic with Hermione and Ron today!" he informed her. Parvati frowned, she was still a bit annoyed with him from the Yule Ball the year before.  
  
Seamus tapped Harry on the shoulder. "I couldn't help but overhear your plans for today Harry," Harry nodded, "but you have dorm duty today…"  
  
Harry gasped, his face falling. He had forgotten all about it! That year, Dumbledore had sent most of the house-elves away to learn to use their magic freely, and the boys of his dorm had had a large fight about who's messes where who's. They had ended up agreeing on a cleaning system. Each weekend one of them would clean the dorm. They would rotate weekends so it would stay fair.  
  
The weekend before, Harry had had quidditch practise and couldn't clean the room. He had begged Seamus to switch with him, and he agreed.  
  
"Oh…" Harry sighed and started on his way to the Great Hall for breakfast. While he was eating, he explained the situation to Hermione (who seemed the most disappointed) and Ron. They agreed that he had to do his share, and that they would try to find another day.  
  
Harry went back to his dorm with Ron, who told him that he was going to go watch the Hufflepuffs at their quidditch practise. He knew that they had a very strong keeper, and he wanted to see what things he could work on.  
  
He bid Ron goodbye, and started to work on the room. The remaining house-elves had done the laundry, but they hadn't folded it. Harry put Kero in charge of folding the clothes and putting them away. He also told him to clean the bathroom.  
  
While Harry was wiping up some blue slime from under Dean's bed he saw a strange looking piece of paper, covered in dust. He picked it up and blew it off, revealing a Clow Card with the name WOOD on it. There was one beside it covered in ink, so he couldn't see the name. Two Clow Cards in one day! He thought to himself excitedly, wait until I tell Kero! He tried to slowly slide out from under Dean's bed. He suddenly heard Ron calling him, from inside his mouth. It surprised him so much; he hit his head on Dean's bed-frame. He had forgotten to take off the COMT that Hermione had given him! He got up and put the Clow Cards in his trunk and listened for his name again.  
  
"Harry? Are you there?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head and cleared his throat.  
  
"Y-yes Ron. I am here. You frightened me!" he could hear Ron laughing.  
  
Ron continued. "Harry, I need you to get me the Firebolt you gave me out from my trunk, it isn't locked. The Hufflepuffs are done practising, and their keeper, Florencia O'Séal, says she can give me a few pointers! She is a great keeper too!" he sounded very excited. Harry had given Ron his old Firebolt after he had won the newer model, Silver Pheonix, in the summer.  
  
"Yeah, I can do that Ron. Kero is working on the bathroom right now. I will just check on him and then give him some chocolate frogs for working so hard." Kero, who was eavesdropping, gave a toothy smile and continued to work, extra hard.  
  
"I will see you in a few minutes! Bye!" Harry heard a click and the conversation was over. He glanced in the bathroom to see Kero, who was trying not to be sucked down the sink. Harry pulled him out and told him he could have any of his chocolate frogs and that he was going to step out for a moment.  
  
"O-okay!" Kero said groggily as Harry left with the broomstick.  
  
Harry decided to speed things up a bit by using the Invisible Skates' spell. It was against the rules to ride broomsticks inside Hogwarts castle, but he had never heard anything about practising a harmless charm to help him help a friend in need.  
  
He arrived at the quidditch field and found a very grateful Ron.  
  
"Oh! Thank you Harry!" and with that he was up in the air being hit with quaffles.  
  
"Harry, did you come all this way to deliver Ron his broomstick?" Cho's voice surprised Harry. He turned around to face her and blushed.  
  
"Yes, he had left it in the dorm." He said quietly.  
  
She smiled. "You went through all that trouble, you are such a good friend." Harry blushed more, and shook his head.  
  
"It wasn't really any trouble, I was in the dorm anyway!"  
  
Cho showed Harry a large basket of food. "I was going to watch Ron practise and eat my lunch at the same time. Since you never got your snow-cones yesterday, would you like to eat with me now?" she asked him. Harry nodded and sat down beside her.  
  
Halfway through, Ron took a break and flew down beside them. "Harry! You stayed to watch… oh." Ron glanced at Cho, and back to Harry and grinned evilly. Harry blushed and took a bite of the muffin he was eating. He looked at Cho and nearly choked. She was practically shovelling food into her mouth with no problem at all. As if feeling his gaze she stopped and grinned sheepishly.  
  
"She eats twice as much as I do." Ron explained.  
  
Harry stared. "R-really? Twice?" Cho nodded. "Well y-you know, it is very healthy to have such a big appetite!" he assured her. She laughed.  
  
"Healthy for me, hard on my pocket-money!"  
  
Florencia called Ron and he flew up to her. She bombarded him with quaffles again.  
  
Cho put down her plate. "Would you like dessert?" she asked, gesturing to a pile of pastries in the basket. Harry, who felt his stomach would burst, reluctantly declined.  
  
"No thank you Cho, I should get back, I have dorm duty. And Kero is probably wondering where I—" he stopped in mid sentence as Cho looked at him questioningly.  
  
"Kero…?"  
  
Harry smiled innocently. "Oh, nothing! But I really need to go now. Thanks for the food!" Cho said goodbye to him and he ran away.  
  
Harry checked his watch. He had been gone for too long, Kero was probably wondering what had happened to him. He couldn't help grinning goofily as he slid into his room. Because of Ron, he had been able to see Cho!  
  
He looked around. All of the clothes were folded neatly and placed atop (magically locked) trunks. He took a glance at the bathroom and saw it sparkling. Kero was asleep on his pillow. He smiled happily and sat beside him (throwing the chocolate frog wrappers into a wastebasket). He thanked him quietly.  
  
As he was getting ready to finish cleaning Dean's slime, he heard a rumbling. It stopped, and then started again, and stopped. He whispered for Kero to wake up. No reaction. He shook him and he opened his eyes.  
  
"Wha-?" Harry motioned for him to be quiet. The rumbling started again, this time louder. It shook the floor and Harry fell over.  
  
"What is that?!" he asked Kero as he stood up.  
  
"I don't know, but I think it is coming from your trunk!" Kero said, pointing to the end of his bed.  
  
Slowly, they crept over to investigate. Harry opened the trunk and saw a twig with a leaf through the darkness. He opened it farther and saw a whole tree. They screamed and held the lid shut.  
  
"Why are you growing trees in there?!" Kero asked him. Harry shook his head.  
  
"I'm not!" he said, and remembered something. He told Kero about the WOOD card he had found earlier.  
  
Kero stared at him. "You left a Clow Card without signing your name?!"  
  
"It was already a card, I didn't know I had to write my name on it!" Harry whined. The lid of the trunk had more and more pressure on it, and he increased his hold. Kero let go, deep in thought.  
  
Harry screamed. "Don't let go!" but Kero didn't listen.  
  
"But, WOOD is a gentle card. I can't see her being up to something mischievous as this…" Harry felt the lid give a huge push, and he was knocked onto the floor. The branches quickly spread, filling the room. As the tree started to move towards the other end of the room where the door was, one branch managed to pick Harry up by his ankle. A smaller branch wrapped itself around Kero. They felt themselves being tossed about like rag dolls.  
  
There was a loud knock at the door. "Just a second!!" Harry called, and covered his mouth as soon as the words had left him.  
  
"Why are you answering?!" Kero asked him in a low voice. Harry shook his head.  
  
"It was a reflex!"  
  
The tree grew closer to the door and the knocking sounded again. Harry kept his mouth shut, but he knew it was too late. He turned to Kero.  
  
"You had better not talk! If they find out about you they might sell you off to a muggle circus somewhere as the amazing talking toy! Even in the regular modern wizarding world you are an oddity." He told him. Kero stopped struggling and held still, until he looked just like a regular plush-toy. "You gotta help me!" Harry pleaded.  
  
Kero opened his mouth just enough to speak. "Stuffed toys don't talk, remember?" and he closed his mouth.  
  
The person knocked at the door again, waited, and then started to open the door. Harry covered his eyes and prepared for a scream or a yell.  
  
"I can't look…" he mumbled to himself. The door opened and he dared to peek through his fingers.  
  
"Hermione!!" he exclaimed. She was standing at the door with a picnic basket and a surprised look on her face. She released Kero from the branch and he stretched gratefully.  
  
She started to untie Harry's foot. "Are you holding the Whomping Willow hostage?" she asked him. Harry got up and shook his head.  
  
"No, this is a Clow Card. It's a good thing you came here…" He explained the situation to her.  
  
Hermione smiled. "I thought you might need a bit of help. I also wanted you to try this on to see if it fits…" she brought a ocean-blue outfit out of her basket. On the ends of the sleeves, collar, waist, and cuffs, there was a silver tube. It gave it a very futuristic look, Kero had commented.  
  
"I like the colours—" Harry said dreamily after he had changed. Kero took a doughnut out of the basket.  
  
"I figured you would want something other than red, black, and gold all the time. And then I remembered your other favourite colour combination." She winked at him and he blushed. "I was going to get you to wear it today at the picnic. I wanted to film a mini-movie about Harry's Adventure's in the Forbidden Forest, but this is much better."  
  
Kero rummaged around for another pastry. "And that is why you had all of this food with you?" Hermione nodded and brought out her camera. "Harry, seal the card now." Kero ordered.  
  
Harry nodded and brought out the Seal Key. "Key that hides the forces of darkness, reveal your true form to me! I, Harry, command you under our contract! RELEASE!" there was a blinding light, and Harry felt himself holding the Sealing Staff. Hermione couldn't get over how cool the footage was.  
  
"WOOD! I command you to return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!" The branches all disappeared. Harry held out his hand, waiting for the card, but nothing happened. He frowned.  
  
"What is it?" Hermione asked anxiously.  
  
Harry looked around his feet. "The card is supposed to be here…" Kero pointed to Harry's trunk.  
  
"Maybe it is there?" he asked. Harry nodded. The moment he started to walk towards it, however, the ground started to shake again and the branches came back faster than ever. Their ends reminded Harry of daggers as they headed straight for him and his friends.  
  
Kero opened the door. "Come on! Out here!!" they followed him out through a hall and to a large balcony that Harry had never known existed. As soon as the branches it the sunlight they slowed down and wrapped themselves around the walls. They came to a complete stop and grew thick green foliage.  
  
Hermione and Harry could only stare. "W-what happened?" Harry asked at last.  
  
Kero grinned. "WOOD is satisfied with the sunlight." He said. Hermione showed the whole balcony to her camera.  
  
"It doesn't remind me of the Whomping Willow quite as much, now!" said Hermione. Harry nodded.  
  
They heard a loud rumbling sound from inside. "What is that? It sounds like an elephant walking around!" Hermione said worriedly. Kero was worried too.  
  
"It is WOOD!" he said at last, "The rest of it is trying to find the sunlight!"  
  
Harry couldn't believe it. He had thought it was finally done destroying the dorm! "What do we do?" he asked, feeling helpless.  
  
Kero clenched his fists together with a mixture of anger and determination. "We go in there and seal it off for good!" and so Hermione, Harry, and Kero set out to find Harry's room. As they entered the mess of branches and occasional leaves Kero flew ahead of them and reported back to tell them where they could fit through. He repeated this until they were finally back in the dorm room. The floor was flooded.  
  
A strange cloud flew over Harry's head and giggled. 'Giggled?' Harry looked up and saw a small girl in a jester's (blue) clothing on the cloud.  
  
"That's the RAIN Card!" Kero told them.  
  
"RAIN?" Hermione asked.  
  
Harry blushed from embarrassment. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten about the other card! "I kinda forgot to tell you that there were two cards, Kero. Sorry!" he said.  
  
Kero frowned, "RAIN must be the one behind this! Capture RAIN first, and then WOOD will be easy!" he said. Harry nodded and chased after RAIN, who was flying in circles around his head. It stopped directly over Harry and released a light shower of rain. Harry held his hand up and caught a few drops.  
  
"Hey, this isn't so bad…" he said, almost laughing. RAIN let out a giggle and the light shower became a steady flow of water. Harry wiped his hear out of his eyes, and sighed. He tried to move out of RAIN's path, but it followed him everywhere he went. With the tree braches covering the room, there weren't many places he could run.  
  
"Stop running around like that and seal it!" Kero said, exasperated.  
  
Harry looked over his shoulder at him. "What do I do?!" he asked.  
  
"WATERY should do the trick!" said Kero. Harry nodded and brought out the card. Throwing it up into the air, he called out his command for it.  
  
"WATERY, become a binding chain and trap RAIN! WATERY!!" he tapped WATERY with the end of his Staff and it circled around him once, and moved onto RAIN. It circled around RAIN so fast that in almost no time at all, RAIN was caught in what looked like a giant bubble.  
  
Harry lifted up his Staff, "RAIN! I command you to return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!!" and with that a large wind came and began to blow RAIN into card-form. She struggled, but the power was too much, and Harry picked up two cards that landed at his feet (RAIN and WATERY). 'One down, one to go…' he thought to himself.  
  
He turned around determinedly and raised his Staff, ready to seal WOOD.  
  
"WOOD! I—" Kero cut him off. "Er- Kero?"  
  
"Just wait." Kero told him with a smile. WOOD's branches glowed brightly, and started to shrink and recede. They disappeared before Harry's eyes and were replaced a very small, beautiful, and green woman. She looked at Harry and nodded her head. In an instant, she transformed herself back into card-form.  
  
Harry stood in front of the Card, dazed. It had just sealed itself, without him saying anything! Hermione picked up WOOD and handed it to Harry, along with a quill.  
  
"I think you know what to do." She said. He nodded and wrote his name on WOOD and RAIN and did his peace-sign for the camera. Hermione turned it off, and congratulated Harry.  
  
"Thank you Hermione, I couldn't have done it without you and Kero. Speaking of Kero," he glanced at the yellow teddy-bear who was looking very depressed, "why is he so quiet all of a sudden?" Harry asked. Harry followed Kero's gaze and found himself staring at the mess WOOD had made; all of the folded laundry was scattered across the room, the beds were un-made, books and boxes were knocked over, and the bathroom looked worse than when they started!  
  
His excitement diminished, Harry's face fell. He had to re- clean all of it up in less than an hour! And it had taken him and Kero most of the day!  
  
Hermione, guessing the source of Harry and Kero's sudden enthusiasm loss, tried to cheer them up. "I could help, if that is okay?" she asked. Harry and Kero nodded their heads and wiped their tearful eyes.  
  
"That would be great Hermione!" said Harry. They got to work cleaning the room. They didn't stop until every inch was spotless. Hermione left before Dean, Neville, and Seamus got back.  
  
Harry was so tired that he decided to take a small nap before dinner. He fell asleep right when his head hit the pillow.  
  
Dean, Seamus, Neville, and Ron came to see if Harry was done cleaning. They were surprised at what a good job he did. They reminded Ron that it was his turn the next weekend.  
  
"I hope you are as good as Harry!" Dean told Ron.  
  
Seamus glanced at Harry and laughed. "He still sleeps with a stuffed animal?"  
  
Ron rolled his eyes, "I guess so, but don't bug him about it."  
  
"Well he had better wake up soon, or else I will eat his share of dessert!" Neville said quickly, changing the subject. He didn't want the others to find out about his plush dragon, Sammy.  
  
Harry stirred and opened his eyes slightly. "The cake is mine."  
  
"Your name isn't on it! First come-first serve Harry!" Neville said childishly. They left Harry to go see what Fred and George were selling. Seamus had heard a rumour that they were developing something spectacular (thought they wouldn't say more than that)  
  
Harry reached over clumsily and picked up the cards he had captured that day. "But I wrote my name down…" he said groggily, and fell back asleep. 


	5. Chapter Five: Harry, Chimaera, and the G...

Chapter Five: Harry, Chimaera, and The Gift Shop  
  
A/N: This is probably my favourite chapter so far. RRE: Read, review, and ejoy!  
  
(Hannah Abbot slept soundly in her dorm. Behind her, a large pile of stuffed animals that no normal human had seen before. There were some normal ones like bears and rabbits, but then there were horses with horns on their heads, giant lizards with menacing eyes, and big red birds. One toy moved. It's head was that of a lion, it sported a dragon's tail, and a goat's body. It squirmed out of the pile of toys on top of it, bounced off the table, and out of the room…(  
  
Harry was late for class. Draco Malfoy had switched his books with bricks during breakfast again. It had taken him ten minutes to find them all, and by then, all of the others had left. He was so late, that he couldn't even think of a way to get back at Draco!  
  
Harry sped up, and felt the ground underneath his left foot move. He landed on the floor with a great thump, and it took him a few seconds to realize what had happened. He had tripped on a flier from the Hogwarts Advertising Board!  
  
The Hogwarts Advertising Board, or HAB, as the students and professors knew it, was a rather large cork-board where anyone related to Hogwarts could post advertisements, reminders, etc. Nearly every time Harry passed it, there would be a picture of Trevor (the toad) on it, from Neville, asking if anyone had seen him.  
  
Harry picked up the paper that had fallen off and read it.  
  
"Hagrid's Beast Sanctuary: Wide Variety Gift-Shop! Hold the memories of all the critters with our souvenirs!" it read. Harry hadn't known that Hagrid's Beast Sanctuary had a Gift Shop. 'That is probably why he put up an add,' Harry mused. He promised himself that he would visit it after class, if he had time. He put the paper in his pocket.  
  
'Time is what I need!' he told himself, and continued his sprint to class.  
  
~  
  
Harry had gotten off easy because Professor McGonagall had only been telling the class about a trip that they were going to have in a few weeks. Ron got Harry caught up in the news.  
  
"The Shrieking Shack has been made into, what?" Harry asked.  
  
Hermione sighed. "Harry, weren't you listening to McGonagall? An wizard art museum!" she said.  
  
"Hermione, Harry missed that part because he was class!" Ron told her.  
  
"Really! Harry, you were late _again_?" she said incredulously. Draco walked by and snickered.  
  
Harry sighed. "Malfoy gave me the bag of bricks again Hermione. It wasn't my fault!" he paused, as if trying to remember something. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "I tripped on this as well…"  
  
Hermione and Ron read the add. "Good thing you did Harry! Imagine, us not knowing about the Gift Shop!" Hermione said.  
  
"I propose we go right now, while we have time!" Ron said excitedly. Ever since he started to work, he had a lot of spending money.  
  
Dean, Neville, and Seamus walked up beside them. "Go where?" Seamus asked. Harry handed them the flier.  
  
"I never knew about this, or I would've gone!" Dean said. Neville nodded.  
  
Seamus looked at his watch. "Can we go with you?" he asked. Harry nodded.  
  
They half walked half ran to the gift shop (the add said that it was on Hogwarts grounds). When they arrived, however, all they found were boxes and bags. A large "boom!" was heard from the back-room, and they went to investigate.  
  
"Hagrid! Are you alright?" Hermione asked. Hagrid had fallen over while carrying too many boxes. He nodded his head and stood up and led them into the store.  
  
"I'm glad yeh came by, but I only oped up this store a week ago, and have had a hard time organizin' all of the stuff. A few girls came by the other day and bought a few things that I had up on the shelves, but that is all…" He frowned and looked around the room. "I suppose yeh can't tell what is supposed to be in a shop like this."  
  
"Hagrid, you could have asked me to help out! I could definitely do it after I feed the animals and all the people are out of the café!" Ron said. Hagrid shook his head.  
  
"I couldn't ask so much of yeh Ron. An' yeh've been so helpful already." Hagrid said sadly.  
  
Hermione bit her lip. "Well, we can help out after classes are over, Hagrid! The homework load is relatively light right now, and if we all try we will be able to get a lot done in a short amount of time!" Hagrid's face lit up.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes, really!" Harry insisted.  
  
Hagrid quickly agreed to let them help, and sure enough, in only two days, the store was set up. Hagrid was so grateful that he let them each take one item of their choice, cost-free.  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had a fun time looking at all of the items, and it pleased them to see things that they themselves had taken out of the boxes and placed on the shelves.  
  
Seamus chose a gold Leprachaun shamrock that was supposed to be for good-luck. Hagrid promised him it wouldn't disappear. Dean chose a Billywig spinning-top that would stay spinning for minutes.  
  
"What are you getting?" Hermione asked Neville. He blushed, and held his hands behind his back.  
  
"N-nothing…" he stuttered. Ron looked behind him and pulled a stuffed Chimaera out from his hands.  
  
Ron frowned. "Nothing, eh?" he handed the Chimaera back to Neville.  
  
Neville tried to explain. "I-I collect magical beast figurines and such…" he mumbled. Harry stared at the Chimaera. It looked like something that Hagrid would like to keep as a pet- from it's huge lion's teeth to the spikes on it's dragon's tail.  
  
"Good choice Neville. It looks really cool!" Harry told him. Dean and Seamus nodded admiringly. "You collect them? Does that mean you have more?" Neville nodded. "When we go back to the dorm, you should show us!"  
  
Neville's face brightened. "Really? You don't think it is a weird hobby?" he asked hopefully.  
  
Hermione smiled. "On the contrary Neville, I am glad that you have taken such an interest to the other magical inhabitants of this world. And," she examined a plush Fwooper, "these are very accurate, and see the little information cards? I think I will get one too!" she exclaimed, and went off to search for a stuffed animal to buy.  
  
Neville promised to show Harry, Ron, Dean, and Seamus his collection, and they finished choosing their items.  
  
Ron got a rather disgusting Flobber Worm toy that would make a sickening squishing sound whenever you squeezed it too tight. He used it to bother Hermione, and promised she wouldn't need to worry about it once he had used it on Draco and his friends. Harry chose a small Norwegian Ridgeback figurine, "As to remember Baby Norbert" he told Hagrid, who gave a little sob. All of Hagrid's figurines moved realistically, and the dragons would occasionally blow a small flame.  
  
"And what'll you be getting, Hermione?" Hagrid asked Hermione. She showed him a large object that reminded Harry of a snow- globe. In it was a strange looking creature that Ron called a funky-cow.  
  
"No! Ron! It is a Mooncalf! And every full moon it will come into the middle," she pointed to a grassy part of the globe, "and do a dance on its hind legs." Ron laughed heartily at this, and Harry had to hide a smile.  
  
"Good choice Hermione! The dance of the Mooncalf in that globe is always different! It is well worth the wait." He turned to Neville. "What are you getting, Neville?" Neville showed him the Chimaera, and Hagrid looked surprised.  
  
Neville looked back and forth from the Chimaera to Hagrid. "Anything wrong? Should I get something cheaper, maybe?" he sounded uncertain. Hagrid snapped out of his trance and shook his head.  
  
"Ah, no Neville, you keep it! Take good care of it too."  
  
Hagrid told them that they had made wise choices, and invited them to come back anytime.  
  
~  
  
In the Gryffindor Common Room, the friends showed off what they got from Hagrid's to each other first, and then to others, so as to increase the business at the shop. Many students seemed absolutely compelled by the idea of the gift shop, and promised to visit it the next day.  
  
"Neville, can we see your collection now?" Dean asked Neville. He nodded and started to lead them to the dorm. Hermione commented that she would like him to bring it out into the Common Room once, so she would be able to see.  
  
"This was my first, it is a Puffskien. This is a Hippogriff…" Neville said, pulling a stuffed hippogriff out of his trunk.  
  
Harry grinned. "It looks like Buckbeak!" he said, mainly to Ron.  
  
Seamus blinked, confusedly. "You mean that Hippogriff that escaped in our third year? They never did find it, did they?" Ron and Harry shifted uneasily.  
  
"No." Ron said finally. Neville pulled another animal out.  
  
"This would be an Acromantula." He said plainly. Ron yelped and slowly backed away. Neville put it away. He showed them many, many more, such as the Nundu, and Kappa. The last one was under his pillow, a Welsh Green.  
  
He introduced it as Sammy, "this was my first one, and I am rather attached to it." They took one last look at Sammy before Neville put it into his trunk.  
  
"We should be going to dinner now, Hermione is probably waiting." Harry said and started out of the door. Ron followed, then Dean, then Seamus. Neville was the last one.  
  
As they were walking down the stairs, they heard a loud 'thump" from their dorm. Neville rushed back to see what it was, and the rest followed him. His trunk was open.  
  
Harry looked around the room. "What is it, Neville?"  
  
"I-it's the Chimaera. Its gone!" he told them. They all looked under their beds, but it was nowhere to be seen.  
  
Neville was shaky. "How could something like this happen?" he wanted to know.  
  
"Someone could have stolen it…" Ron said. He glanced at the window, and saw it was open. They walked over to it.  
  
Dean looked doubtful. "Why would someone come up here, steal a stuffed animal, and leave out of the window? It doesn't make sense!"  
  
Seamus shook his head. "You're right; it doesn't."  
  
"I think we should report this to McGonagall." Harry said gravely, "This is very serious." They nodded and headed for her office. They explained the situation to her and she was not pleased at all.  
  
"Professor, what should we do?" Neville asked. Professor McGonagall paced the room, and looked at the boys, her lips pursed into a fine line.  
  
"I am afraid, that I don't know what to do boys. Nothing happened to the owner of the Chimaera the last time…" her voice trailed off.  
  
Ron frowned. "Last time? You mean this has happened before?" he asked impatiently. Professor McGonagall nodded and they all gasped. "W-what? How?"  
  
"Mr Weasley, please calm down, and I will explain." Ron stopped talking. She motioned for them to sit down, and they did. "A few days ago a girl by the name of Hannah bought that same Chimaera toy. While she slept, something stole it from her room, and disappeared out of the window. We had her dorm sleep in their Common Room for a few days, but nothing happened, so we let them resume their normal routines."  
  
"Today, about half an hour ago, Hagrid came in here to tell me that the Chimaera had reappeared in his shop. He was certain it was the same one because he had only ordered one. He told me that you," she nodded towards Neville, "now had possession of it, and that I may want to keep an eye out. I promised him I would, and now this happens…" she sighed and started to pace again.  
  
She told them that she would ask Dumbledore what to do, and until then they would not go into their dorm. They left, feeling very worried.  
  
~  
  
Ron and Harry explained their situation to Hermione, who was in deep thought. She picked up the knap-sac that was beside her and it wiggled. Ron and Harry stared at it intently. A small yellow head, with beady black eyes popped out.  
  
"Kero!" Harry said, surprised. Kero held his little paw to his nose, and shushed Harry.  
  
Hermione pushed him back into the bag. "We'll take him outside to talk. I assume you can't go back into your dorm?"  
  
"H-how did you know?" asked Ron. Hermione grinned and shrugged.  
  
She led them out of the castle to a tree by the Whomping Willow. It was far enough that they were in no danger, and most people wouldn't even dare to go _that_ close to the willow, so they were safe from eavesdroppers. Harry re-explained all that had happened.  
  
"Do you think it could be a Clow Card?" Harry was desperate to know. Kero laughed and shook his head.  
  
"A Card that collects stuffed animals? I doubt there are any strange Cards like that!"  
  
Harry frowned. He didn't want bad rumours to start about Hagrid and his business. "If it _is_ a Clow Card, then maybe I can do something about it! Please at least come to check. McGonagall said that it returned the first time…" He pleaded. Kero looked at his face, and decided to do it. 'Poor kid,' he thought. 'He just wants to help his friend.'  
  
"Alright, I'll do it." Kero said. Harry smiled and thanked him.  
  
"We can go tonight!" Hermione said excitedly. "I just bought some new film, and if I go back now, I can put the finishing touches on the battle outfit! Perfect timing!"  
  
Harry blushed. "Please… Hermione…"  
  
Hermione grinned. "Oh, don't pretend you don't like the attention! And think of all of the stuff I can put in the yearbook! And…" she looked around cautiously. "Don't tell anyone this, but, I am planning to put up candid cameras around the school." She winked, and Harry laughed. Ron, however, didn't react.  
  
"Kended camera?" he asked, his face blank. "Is this something us non-muggle-related types wouldn't know?"  
  
"Ron, it is a muggle television show—" Harry began.  
  
"I know talavishen!" Ron said excitedly.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "Right… anyway, there is a program called "Candid Camera" where people go to places and play practical jokes on people, and film it without them knowing until the end. It can be really funny!" He said. Ron laughed, and then went serious.  
  
"Hermione? You are going to do that?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
She nodded. "Don't worry Ron, just little stuff."  
  
"OK." Ron felt relieved. Hermione bid them goodbye and left, promising to take good care of Kero while their quarters were unavailable.  
  
~  
  
"Great Harry! It really suits you!" Hermione said, making Harry pose for the camera (to his great embarrassment).  
  
"Green would have been better than blue," Ron said sarcastically, "It would have brought out his eyes!" he said, imitating Hermione.  
  
She had given Harry a pair of ocean-blue pants, made of a rather baggy and loose material. The shirt was the same colour, but at the collar there was a white collar, as if he had a formal shirt on underneath. It was the same case for the cuffs of the sleeves. There was a giant capital H on the jumper, which Hermione had said 'would make him look like he was in muggle-college, therefore more intelligent!' He didn't think he looked like a college-student, but he nodded politely.  
  
"Lets go already! Hagrid is going to close the shop soon!" Ron said impatiently. They sped off to the gift shop and greeted Hagrid at the door. Harry started looking around right away as Hermione started to lead Hagrid away. The plan was for Hermione (and Ron, if needed) to distract Hagrid so Harry could find the Chimaera.  
  
"I liked that Mooncalf so much, I would like to see what other globes you have back there!" she led him to the storage room.  
  
Harry looked under the tables and on shelves, but there was no sign of the Chimaera. "What does it look like?" Kero asked.  
  
Harry shrugged. "Its big and ferocious. It has a head like a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail—"  
  
"of a dragon." Kero finished.  
  
"Harry stared at him. "H-how did you know?"  
  
"I happened to come across some Chimaera's on my travels with Clow Reed. I wasn't sure if they looked different now or not. It was a long time ago, you know." Kero said. Harry nodded and continued to search. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He turned, ready to pounce, but it was only Ron.  
  
"This 'un has a Kappa in it…" Hagrid showed Hermione the glass dome. She looked at it interestedly, but she was really too worried about the main room to be able to care. "Alrigh' then! Save up yer pocket money and yeh can buy it sometime! I had better go back to the store, Ron n' Harry migh' want to buy something." He started for the other room.  
  
"Oh! No, Hagrid! I—" Hermione faltered, thinking of something to keep him from leaving.  
  
Ron heard her yelling, and went to help. "Hagrid, do you think you could show me how to make those delicious," he shuddered, "rock cakes that you make? They are so difficult!" Hagrid nearly fainted from joy.  
  
"Alrigh'! Follow me!" he led them to a small kitchen that Ron was quite familiar with.  
  
Harry had found the Chimaera, but Kero had said that the Card was gone from it. He was looking through a box of stuffed animals, holding each one up for Kero.  
  
"No. No. No…" with each no, Harry felt his heart sink. What if they never found the culprit? He absentmindedly held up a strange looking pink rabbit. Kero smiled and whiper-yelled, "yes! That's it!"  
  
"Huh?" Harry asked, dazed. Kero pointed to the rabbit-like thing.  
  
"That's it! That's the JUMP Card!" he said excitedly. JUMP grinned and its eyes shifted. Before Harry knew what was happening, it had released itself from his grip and had jumped out of the window, causing the glass to shatter. Pieces flew everywhere and Harry had to shield his eyes and face.  
  
Hagrid had heard the noise. "What was that!?!" he ran into the room on time to see Harry jumping out of a now broken window after a pink bunny-rabbit. He fainted from surprise, and nearly brought Hermione and Ron down with him as they tried to hold him up.  
  
JUMP leapt across the grounds with such speed that Harry could hardly keep up. Once he had finally caught up he pounced onto JUMP and held on as tightly as he could. The Card jumped high into the air (with Harry holding on) and wiggled out of his grasp yet again. Harry started to fall, and tried to stay calm. He pulled out his Key.  
  
"RELEASE!!" The Key twirled uncontrollably, and with a brilliant flash of light it had turned into the Sealing Staff. Harry pulled FLY out of his pocket and tapped it with the Staff. Metres above the ground he was able to mount the Cane and fly after JUMP. It paused as it neared Hogwarts castle, as if it sensed the powerful magical presence. Harry managed to trap it in a cage of wood using his new WOOD card. As he was about to capture it, Hermione and Ron caught up to him.  
  
"Are we too late?" Hermione asked, camera in hand.  
  
Harry shook his head. "I was just about to do it. Is Hagrid alright?"  
  
"He'll be fine." Ron said. They waited for him to seal JUMP.  
  
Harry raised the Cane over his head. "I command you to return to—" the branches broke, and JUMP escaped, now faster than ever.  
  
Now, behind JUMP, was a large ribbon of toys from the store. They were following the JUMP Card up and down, left and right. It threw some of the stuffed toys at Harry and his friends, but they just bounced off of them. Frustrated, JUMP summoned all of the toys to itself. As it did so, he became larger and larger until no toys were left, and JUMP was as tall as a building. Now Harry was afraid.  
  
"Go hide, you guys!" he ordered Hermione and Ron. They ran behind some bushes, Hermione still filming.  
  
JUMP followed Harry, his strides winning over Harry's. Harry reached the lake, and turned around to face the Card. It lifted its foot and began to attempt squishing Harry. It started to wobble and then the wobble turned into a stuggle to stay standing. Before Harry's eyes the giant pink rabbit fell over, torrents of stuffed animals hitting him in the head.  
  
Hermione and Ron ran closer and watched. JUMP was back to it's normal small size, knocked out. Harry didn't waste any time; he sealed it as quickly as he could and wrote his name on it. He smiled for the camera just before Hermione turned it off.  
  
Kero congratulated Harry. "Great! JUMP may be fast, but it isn't too clever!"  
  
Harry nodded. "It was an anti-climatic ending. I am just glad it is over." He smiled and put the Card in his pocket.  
  
Ron looked around, and sighed. "Now for the _hard_ part."  
  
Harry looked up, surprised. "What?"  
  
"Getting all of these back to the store before Hagrid comes to!" Hermione said. They all sighed, and started to pick up the toys.  
  
~  
  
Harry made his way through a crowded gift shop (followed by Neville) to the cash register. Hagrid smiled and waved to him. In his knap-sac was Kero, so he was being extra careful.  
  
"Hey, Harry! Hi Neville!" Hagrid waved to them to come over. Neville placed the stuffed Fwooper model onto the counter, and payed Hagrid fifteen sickles and two knuts. "Is this to keep the Chimaera company?" Hagrid asked him. Neville blushed and shook his head.  
  
"No, not exactly. I have tonnes of others to do that. I only need ten more and I have the entire collection!" he smiled broadly. "It was such a mysterious Chimaera though. I was so surprised when you had found it!"  
  
They both laughed. "I was so surprised that I fainted!" Hagrid added. He told Neville and Harry that he couldn't talk for long. There was a line of customers forming behind them. They bid him goodbye, and started to leave.  
  
"Neville, that is—" Harry began, but didn't finish. He had walked into a large rack of postcards and books, and they had fallen over with a crash. Hagrid, who was easily the tallest in the store saw what happened.  
  
"Oi! Harry! You alrigh' over there?" he yelled over the students' heads. Harry nodded shakily and picked up the rack.  
  
Kero poked his head out of Harry's backpack and spoke so that only Harry could hear him. "It seems that the JUMP card isn't the only one who causes accidents in here…" he said. Harry laughed nervously, and they left the shop with the good feeling you get when you know you have helped a friend. 


	6. Chapter Six: Harry and Memories of his P...

1 Chapter Six: Harry and Memories of his Parents  
  
A/N: I can't remember if Dean is the one afraid of banshees or not, so you don't need to point that out if I am wrong. RRE!  
  
In response to 'Anime&Hpfan's' review: I am sorry that you feel that way. This isn't supposed to be a realistic fanfiction; it is just for fun- a parody. It works out better if it is Harry, anyway. Hermione definitely doesn't seem like the Cardcaptor type. However, you are welcome to write a Cardcaptor Hermione, or Cardcaptor Ginny story if you like.  
  
I'm sorry if I sounded rude, no offence meant at all ^_^"  
  
"Yeah, it was over by the lake last night…" Seamus grinned. "I was coming back from a detention with Professor Sprout. You know, when I got in trouble for knocking over that big display case?" the others nodded and he continued. "Anyway! I was walking back to the castle, and it was fairly dark outside. I decided to pass by the lake to see if I could see anything cool come out of the water."  
  
"Did you?" Ron was anxious to know. Harry wasn't so thrilled. Ever since the year before, when Harry had to go the bottom of the lake and rescue Ron ((and some others -_-")) he had been getting nightmares about the lake and mer-people. He had told Hermione, but no one else, because they would laugh at him.  
  
Seamus nodded. "I saw some tentacles reach out of the water, but that was it. So I turned to go back to the castle so I wouldn't get in trouble. I heard a noise, and turned around. There was a strange glowing ball hovering about a metre from the shore." The boys hung onto his every word. "It moved to the land, and I followed it for a few steps. Then it stopped." He paused for effect, "and the glowing became a blinding light! And pow!" he clapped his hands together, "it had turned into the most hideous monster I had ever seen! With one eye glaring at me! It came towards me, but then it disappeared before it could touch me. I—"  
  
Harry cut him off. "OK! OK! Enough about the imaginary monster!" he said. The boys stared at him questioningly and he blushed. "Sorry. I-I think it is our turn now." He gestured to the quidditch pitch. Ron shook his head.  
  
"No, see? The girls are still flying. Look at Hermione!" he pointed to the black and green blur that was zooming around the goal-posts.  
  
"Wow! She will be hard to beat, eh, Ron?" Harry laughed. It was Ron's turn to blush. "Don't worry, she is trying out for Chaser. She has improved from our first year. Remember? She was afraid to even touch the broom!"  
  
Ron nodded, and then joined the conversation Dean, Seamus, and Neville were having.  
  
Seamus was assuring his friends that his story wasn't a fib. "I am positive!"  
  
"How do we know you aren't making it up?" Neville asked suspiciously.  
  
Seamus thought for a moment. "Hey! Why don't we go back there, tonight! At around seven, and we can see if it will show up again!" Ron, Dean, and Neville agreed. Harry wasn't so enthusiastic.  
  
"That is pretty risky, just to see if a story Dean made up is true or not… I don't think we should." He said seriously. Ron laughed and promised him that they would be fine.  
  
Madame Hooch called the boys for flying practise. As Harry walked by Hermione he told her quickly what they were going to do. He begged her to come with, so they wouldn't get in as much trouble. They way he saw it was that the teachers couldn't get her into too much trouble because she was a prefect, and the editor of the year-book. They couldn't just let her off, and punish the boys because they could call it favouritism. He didn't tell her this of course, but he still insisted she come.  
  
"Well… alright. But once the sun sets I am going inside!" she said, giving in. He thanked her and mounted his broom. He caught up with the rest of the class, and they started to do difficult obstacle courses. Harry actually felt challenged for once. His whole group received top grades, and were dismissed.  
  
Ron and Harry walked down the hall to the Great Hall in silence. Ron didn't like it. "Harry, you aren't still worried about our little, excursion this evening, are you? I talked to Neville, Dean, and Seamus, and they agreed to go before sundown. We are still allowed out by then!" Ron informed him. Harry felt a bit better.  
  
"Hermione said she would come too. It is really stretching it though, going so close to the lake and all." Harry was silent for a moment. "Do you think anything is going to show up? Seamus could have been just telling horror stories again." And then he added, "not that it scared me!"  
  
Ron laughed. "I don't know, but I guess we will find out."  
  
He and Harry arrived in the Great Hall and took a seat beside Hermione. "Are you boys still going through with that silly trip to the lake? It is pointless, really." She took a bite of her mashed potato. "But I promised Harry I would go. So I will go."  
  
~  
  
Harry and his friends walked down the nearly-deserted grounds of Hogwarts. The sky was a brilliant shade of violet, orange, red, blue, yellow, and pink. Hermione said that she would have to film a "Hogwarts Sunset" for the closing of the Year Book.  
  
Dean tried to make conversation. "Hey, you guys. It will be my parents' anniversary in two weeks. What do you think I should get them?" he asked. Ron walked closer to him and "accidentally" bumped him. Dean covered his mouth and turned around to look at Harry. "Oops, sorry…" he said feebly. Harry lost his train of thought. He was only half-listening to Dean.  
  
"What? Oh, its OK." He said casually. Dean nodded and walked a bit faster. Harry stole a glance at Neville, who was looking distant. Neville has more reason to be upset than me. He said to himself. He had never mentioned Neville's parents to anyone, not even to Ron or Hermione.  
  
Hermione, sensing tension, tried to break it. "Oh, those potatoes today were so good. I could have eaten five servings of them!" she said, giving her stomach a pat. They all laughed, and more conversation began.  
  
Dean led them to the shore of the lake and pointed to a tree. "That is where it turned into the monster." He said matter-of-factly.  
  
They stood in silence and watched. Just when Harry thought he could stand it no more, and his legs were cramping, Dean said that they might as well leave. All of them but Hermione turned to go.  
  
"Hermione come on!" Harry said. Hermione didn't move, she just stood still, looking out at the water. She pointed in front of her.  
  
"Dean, is that what you are looking for?" she asked quietly. They all turned to look. There, over the water was a hovering, glowing ball, true to Dean's description. It moved towards them, as if it knew they were watching it. Harry jumped back behind Ron and Hermione. The others seemed paralysed.  
  
The ball reached the land and had an "explosion of light", not unlike what Harry saw his Key do whenever he releases it. Harry watched the object closely, hoping to see the monster. Two heads appeared, thought they were only silhouettes. Then their bodies and appendages were visible, their hands reaching out towards him. His blood went cold, and he started to move back. The others came out of their trances and started to run away too.  
  
They ran and ran until they had reached the Gryffindor Common Room, and they were out of breath. Hermione was the only one who seemed unafraid.  
  
Seamus recovered first. "It was the monster alright! I told you it was true! With the one eye…"  
  
"Greasy haired!" Neville gasped.  
  
"Eight legs!" Ron shivered.  
  
"Screaming Banshee!" Dean said.  
  
"Two people, reaching out to me!" Harry yelled.  
  
Hermione shook her head at them all. "What are you guys talking about?" they stopped babbling and listened to her. "All it was, was a plate of those potatoes we had for dinner!"  
  
They stared at her. "Hermione?" Ron asked cautiously.  
  
Hermione nodded. "I saw a plate of mashed potatoes! No monster, just food!" she insisted.  
  
~  
  
Once the rest of the boys were asleep, Harry filled Kero in on what had happened.  
  
"It was really creepy! I wish we hadn't gone!" Harry whined. Kero thought for a moment.  
  
"You say everyone saw something different? I don't think there is a Clow Card that does that…" said Kero, "You know Harry, you have been through scarier things that that! The Clow Cards, and this Voldemort character you, Ron, and Hermione keep telling me about! You are so brave when facing them,"  
  
Harry smiled, despite himself. "I suppose it is because I have to do those things. I have to catch the Cards, and I have to face Voldemort. And, I also know what they are- I had and still, have no idea what those silhouettes were! Were they ghosts?" Harry looked at Kero, and thought to himself how little he was. "I wish you could turn into your true form, and be like my body-guard!"  
  
Kero grinned. "Yeah! But you will need the cards FIREY and EARTHY for me to do that. My true form is totally awesome!"  
  
"Awesome, eh…?" Harry tried to imagine Kero in his true form, but all he could picture was a giant Kero, taller than Hogwarts. It made him laugh.  
  
Harry opened a drawer beside him and pulled out a photo album. He cast lumos so he and Kero could see the pictures inside. He turned to the one with James and Lily standing in a field of wildflowers. Sirius had told him that he had taken that picture. "Kero, it is going to be my parents' anniversary in a few days. I never really knew them, but from all of the stories Remus, Sirius, Arabella, and everyone else who knew them tell me… I almost feel like I do know them. Sometimes I wonder if they would be proud of me..."  
  
Kero nodded. "I am sure they couldn't have hoped for more Harry." He said quietly. Harry mumbled something about going back to the lake the next day and fell asleep.  
  
~  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were studying in the library, when the topic of the "monster" came up. Ron told them that during the morning, Dean, Seamus, and Neville had gone back to the lake, and had brought along Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.  
  
"What happened?" Hermione asked quietly.  
  
Ron sighed. "They saw the monster again, and each one saw something different. This time, when they were running away, they fell over one an other and got hurt."  
  
Hermione gasped. "Oh, dear!"  
  
"Oh, nothing serious! Just a few bruises, I guess. But still…"  
  
Harry took a deep breath. "Ithinkweshouldgobacktheretonight." He said quickly. The other two stared at him. "I think we should go back there tonight." He said again, "It might be a Clow Card, and if it is then I can catch it!"  
  
Hermione looked horrified. "B-but Harry! Tonight? I'm not done the next costume!" she said seriously. Harry and Ron started to laugh. "Its not funny! Special events call for special clothes! I think I will be able to pull something together in a few hours, but don't expect it to be my best!" she told them, and ran away.  
  
Harry and Ron exchanged looks, and couldn't help but feel a mild sense of impending doom. What _would_ Hermione "pull together"?  
  
~  
  
"Hermione I am not wearing that!" Harry yelled, backing away from his friend.  
  
She scowled and thrust the outfit at him. "Oh, yes you will! You didn't give me enough time, so this is what you get," she said.  
  
Harry held up the outfit. It wasn't all that bad looking; it resembled a muggle soccer uniform. The main colours were black, gold, and red (surprise!). The shorts were black and gold, and the t-shirt was red and gold. "Hermione, I am going to freeze in this! It is only 8°C outside!" he complained.  
  
Hermione shook her head. "Don't be silly, don't you think I know that? I put cold-repellent charms all over it!"  
  
"Oh…" Harry got changed and once he came back into the room Hermione had her camera ready.  
  
"Hurry up!" Ron ordered. They ran outside as quickly as they could until they had reached the lake. Harry had to admit that the cold- repellent charms did the trick. He couldn't feel the harsh bite of the March winds.  
  
They looked around for the light, and in a few minutes it showed up again. It moved towards Harry, Kero, Hermione, and Ron until it was about four metres away from the water. Harry stepped forward, and it flashed brightly. Harry found himself staring at the silhouettes again. At first he felt afraid, but then, as they became clearer, he saw who they were.  
  
"Mom? Dad?" he asked tentatively. They smiled and nodded, their hands outstretched towards him. Harry had never been so happy before. His parents were there! He walked forward, and with each step they moved away. He was oblivious to Hermione and Kero's screams, and to the fact that there was a globe around him, isolating him from his friends. Kero tried to enter it but it thrust him back with such strength that it knocked him unconscious. He went flying back, and hit Ron in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Hermione watched helplessly as Harry descended into the water.  
  
"Mom! Dad! Please, don't go!" they were moving away faster now. He was faintly aware of the water closing around him. He could no longer talk, or breath. His parents weren't saving him. His vision became blurrier and blurrier until it was black. He wasn't awake to feel three hands of different size grab his arm and pull him out of the water.  
  
~  
  
Harry woke up with a bad headache. The almost familiar smell of disinfectant and plastic reached his nose. 'The infirmary…' he thought to himself. He tried to open his eyes, but they stung too much. He felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Madame Pomfrey, he is waking up." It sounded like an angel. He wanted to see her, so he tried again to open his eyes. She had shoulder- length black hair, olive skin, and dark blue eyes. 'No…' another part of him was waking up. 'This isn't an angel. It is Cho!' He tried to sit up, but she held him down.  
  
"Harry just stay for a moment. Madame Pomfrey has gone to get you some medicine." His memory was coming back. The lake, the glowing ball… his parents…  
  
He stopped struggling and held still. "Cho… What happened?" he asked groggily.  
  
She paused before answering. "Harry, you almost drowned. I had been writing some poetry by the other side of the lake, and I heard Hermione screaming. I rushed over and I saw this giant glowing sphere thing going into the water. Ron was on his knees, clutching his stomach. Hermione said that you were in the water. As I ran over, the glowy thing disappeared. I dived into the water and pulled you to the surface. Luckily, you weren't too far down, or else I may not have been able to do anything…" she looked away from Harry for a second, her face distant.  
  
Harry felt the news sink in. "Cho, where are Hermione and Ron?" he asked. She looked back at him sharply.  
  
"They are back in their dorms. They wanted to stay, but I told them that I would. I had to anyway; Madame Pomfrey said that I had a mild case of pneumonia. She cured it of course." She raised her eyebrows. "But enough about me. What I have been dying to know is why you were swimming in the first place."  
  
Harry swallowed, and tried to think of something to tell her. "Cho… I saw something over the lake. I saw…" he looked around to make sure no one was listening, and lowered his voice. "my parents were out on the lake."  
  
Cho stared at him. "Are you sure about that, Harry? I mean, you parents are…" she trailed off.  
  
Harry sat up and nodded. "I am positive. Don't ask me how, because I don't know. I walked towards them, and they backed away until, I guess, I fell in the lake."  
  
Cho smiled at Harry sadly. "Well, Harry. If they really were your parents, do you think they would want to put you in danger?" she asked him softly.  
  
"Harry, Harry! Lie down! You aren't well yet!" Madame Pomfrey came running in the room with a box of medication. "You had quite the accident out there! Good thing that Ms Chang was there to save you!" she forced some chocolate and butterbeer into his mouth, and then gave him some pills. "Good thing you had all of those cold-repellents in your clothes! Of course, only the most powerful ones can withstand freezing temperatures!" she sent him back to his dorm, and told him not to go to class the next day. Cho decided to go with him to the Fat Lady (Prefects know all of the House entrances).  
  
As they were walking, Cho asked another question. "Harry, you don't see your parents, normally, do you?" Harry shook his head and she continued, "I used to be able to see my father after he passed away. But not anymore. I wish that I still could see him, but he is in a better place now, with your parents. I suppose it can't be helped that we miss the ones we love so much- so much that we would give almost anything and everything to see them one more time…" she didn't say anything else until they reached the Fat Lady, when she said goodbye.  
  
Harry walked to bed so tired, that he fell asleep before he hit his pillow. He had a strange dream where he was talking to a stag and doe in a wild-flower field. When he awoke, he realized the strangeness of it. 'Deer don't talk!' he told himself, amused.  
  
He checked the time, and saw that it was almost lunch. There was a sandwich and butterbeer beside his bed, and he ate it gratefully. He read and worked on assignments for the rest of the day until he heard Ron and Kero's voice coming from outside of his room.  
  
"Remember to be quiet! He may still be sleeping!" said Ron.  
  
"OK, OK! Now lets go!" it was Kero. Harry put the books aside and pretended to be asleep. He opened his eyes enough to see the door open slowly.  
  
Ron stood beside Harry and Kero flew out of his backpack. "Hey, you awake now?" Kero asked. Harry opened his eyes dramatically and sat up.  
  
"Y-yeah." He said.  
  
Ron grinned, "Good," and put a very heavy bag on Harry's lap. "Homework." He said. Harry sighed, and put the bag aside. Kero handed him a white envelope. Inside was a very colourful get-well card.  
  
"Hermione, Ron, and I felt so bad about not being able to help you—" Kero began.  
  
"It was Hermione's idea." Ron added in quickly. "Kero says that there was a force-field around you and the… thing. It threw him back, and he hit me in the stomach. I couldn't breathe, and you know Hermione. She can't swim very well at all. And then Cho came."  
  
Harry nodded, "Yeah, she told me. I'm really sorry about that, I don't know what happened!"  
  
"Harry I don't want you going back there." Kero said suddenly, "it is too risky. Whether that is a Clow Card, or a ghost, I don't want to put you in danger or let you get hurt!"  
  
Harry smiled at Kero and shook his head. "I am touched, Kero, but you don't understand. I _have to_ go back there." He stood up and picked his photo-album up from his table. He turned to the picture of his parents in the field. They were there, just like always, smiling and waving at him. Occasionally, Sirius' thumb would cover the image (he was never the best at photography), but nothing out of the ordinary. "I saw my parents out there. They wanted me to come to them. I have never seen them for real before, and that doesn't count the Priori Incantatem, or the Mirror of Erised." He walked toward the window, and gave the album for Ron and Kero to look at. "I was told that after they died, my parents went to a better place than this one. To that beautiful place in the sky. If that is true, why are they at the lake?"  
  
"What ever you want, Harry, we will go along with." Kero said quietly. "But lets wait another day, until we are absolutely sure you are well, alright?" Harry nodded, and went down into the Common Room to see a very worried Hermione. He explained everything to her and showed her the picture, but she wasn't fully convinced. She chose to humour Harry, and wait to see if he would change his mind once he had had a day to think about it.  
  
~  
  
They were back at the lake, to Hermione's dismay. She had made Harry an extra cool costume, however, that made Harry feel like some kind of modern-knight. The metal shoulders stretched out a few inches more than usual and the cape went down to his knees. The colour scheme this time was green, yellow, bronze, and black.  
  
With the camera on, Hermione told Harry to be extra careful. He promised he would, and walked towards the edge of the water. The ball appeared again, and quicker this time, it created an explosion of light. Harry found himself face to face with his parents again. All other thoughts left his mind; all he wanted was to be with his parents, and to find out why they were there.  
  
"Mom! Dad! Why are you here?" he asked them frantically. The globe appeared around him again, and Kero and Ron ran into it. They were knocked away, but Harry couldn't hear them. "Do you want me to go with you?" he asked. He ran towards them, and they backed away. Once again he felt the water swallow him. "Mom, Dad!" he screamed. Only bubbles came from his mouth.  
  
He felt himself loosing consciousness. 'Why…? Why are you doing this to me…?' he thought to himself numbly. Cho's words echoed in his mind. "If they really were your parents, do you think they would put you in danger?" and then it dawned on him. They _weren't_ his parents! No matter how much they looked like it, they weren't! He tightened his grip on the Staff and pulled WATERY out. With his last bit of air, he commanded it to repel all water from him and to take him to the surface.  
  
He fell onto the muddy ground at the edge of the lake and gasped for breath. Hermione stayed out of his way. Once his lungs were working again, he stood up to face the opponent. His parents were there, smiling and gesturing for him to come to them. Hermione nearly dropped the camera when she saw them. Kero and Ron stared, dumbfounded.  
  
"I-its Harry's parents! Just like in the picture!" Ron said stupidly. Kero examined the figures closer, and for a split second, a red and yellow pattern took the place of Lily and James. Harry saw it too.  
  
"Harry!" Kero yelled excitedly. "I know what Card it is! It is the ILLUSION Card!" Harry heard him, and nodded. He lifted his Sealing Cane above his head angrily.  
  
"ILLUSION! You tried to hurt me by taking on the form of my parents! I command you to return o the guise you were meant to be in! ILLUSION!!" The image of Lily and James Potter turned to a grey mist, and twirled about like a tornado. In a few moments, there was a Card lying at Harry's feet. Kero, Hermione, and Ron ran to congratulate him. Hermione handed Harry the quill, and he signed his name on the Card.  
  
Kero patted Harry on the back. "Very good, Harry! That was an amazing feat you pulled off just now! I should have known it was ILLUSION."  
  
Ron was still confused. "How come we all saw different things at first, and today we all saw the same thing?" he asked.  
  
Kero smiled confidently. "Well, ILLUSION makes us see whatever is in our minds. Dean, Seamus, and Neville were expecting to see something horrible, so they saw their worst fears."  
  
Hermione started to understand. "And I was still thinking about the potatoes we had for dinner!"  
  
Kero nodded. "Harry told me that he had been thinking about his parents' anniversary, as well as what might happen if Seamus' story was true. His parents' figures appeared as shadows reaching out at him."  
  
"And just now…?" Ron asked.  
  
"I was getting to that!" Kero said. "Harry showed us all the picture of his parents, and we were expecting to see them too. Does it all make sense now?"  
  
"Yes!" Hermione and Ron chorused.  
  
Harry stared at the card for a moment, and blinked away tears. Hermione, Ron, and Kero quieted down, and waited for him to say something. "It would have been nice to see my parents. But, I would be happier knowing that they are in that beautiful place in the sky…" he took a deep breath and turned away from the lake to face his friends.  
  
"I am very proud of you Harry, and I am sure your parents are too! Maybe they were a bit worried this time…" Kero said.  
  
Kero, Hermione, and Ron turned to go back to the castle. Harry took one last look at the lake, and at the stars. He could have sworn that a group of stars looked like two faces smiling and waving at him, but the next moment he was sure he had imagined it. 


End file.
